First Time
by TakerFoxx
Summary: Relationships are composed of many "firsts," and even after death this still holds true. It's just that some of them are kind of strange.
1. First Nights

_So hey, here's another MamiLotte themed Resonance Days prequel. Same disclaimer as before: assumes that the reader has already read the main story and will not make sense if you haven't. Also: yes, this is Rated M for a reason. Hoooo boy, this should be interesting. _

First Nights

_Now…_

Mami's stomach was fluttering. The hour was swiftly approaching, and as it did, she found herself becoming more and more apprehensive. She squirmed in her seat, her legs rubbing nervously against each other.

Taking notice, Charlotte leaned over and whispered, "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Mami assured her. "It's just…this is the first time we've done something like this. I'm…I'm not sure if I'm ready."

Laughing softly, Charlotte kissed her lover on the cheek. "Oh, relax. We'll be fine."

Mami wished she had her confidence; but then, that was the normal state of things in their relationship. "But what if we do something wrong? What if something breaks? What if we set ourselves _on fire?"_

"Then we jump overboard and wince a lot until we regenerate," Charlotte answered promptly. She gave Mami's hand a comforting squeeze. "Seriously, don't worry so much. It's not like Shizuku and Nats haven't been coaching us on this for months now."

"Coaching you on what?"

The two girls looked up to see a tall girl with shoulder-length blue hair in a black shirt, white pants, and white jacket approaching. Natsuru Senou sipped from the large diet soda she had gone to purchase as she sat down next to Charlotte.

"Oh, nothing," Charlotte told her. She nudged Mami's side with her elbow. "Mami here's just having another panic attack about us being left alone for a week."

Indignant, Mami scowled at her and said, "I am _not _having a panic attack!"

"Uh-huh. Yeah you are."

"I am not! I'm simply expressing concern!"

"Sure." Charlotte slurped noisily at the plastic straw of her own drink. "Whatever you say."

Mami huffed, but she allowed herself a small smile.

The three girls were sitting in one of the waiting rooms of Freehaven's skyport. In contrast to the sterile but otherwise inoffensive counterparts found in the world of the living, this one more resembled the lobby of an upscale hotel, with velvet carpeting, gold filigree on the walls, and sizeable chandeliers of gold and crystal. Personally, Mami felt it was a bit unnecessary, but she supposed that, given that all the chairs were enchanted to accommodate whatever species needed to sit down, and enchantments _always _made the object in question look like it had come out of a Sultan's hoard, it did make a certain amount of sense that the permanent décor would be made to match. Golden chairs studded with gems would definitely stand out in a plainer setting.

"Did I miss something interesting?" said a fourth girl as she approached, this one with waist-length hair that was midnight black on the outside and shimmering silver beneath.

"Not unless you count Mami being Mami to be 'interesting,'" Charlotte told Shizuku Sango. This earned her a light smack on the backside of her head.

"Actually, I find Mami to be _very _interesting," Shizuku said, taking a seat next to Natsuru. When the blunette shot her a hurt look, Shizuku gave her a teasing wink. "In a purely platonic sense, I assure you. I take it this latest expression of her personality has to do with you two about to be taken off the leash and turned loose with nobody to hold your hand?"

Mami sighed. "Please don't. That doesn't help."

"If you're really that nervous, it's not too late to call Vickie and ask her to send someone over to help," Natsuru suggested.

Shizuku checked her watch. "Actually, seeing how we'll be boarding within the next twenty minutes, I'd say that moment of opportunity has long since passed."

A few weeks ago, Natsuru had been browsing through magazines at the local bookstore when she had come across a sweepstakes drawing for an all-expenses-paid weekend trip for two to the Vienna Resort in New Kingston. As Vienna was as exclusive of a lovers' retreat as you could get, not to mention ungodly expensive, she had jumped at the chance to enter.

Of course, this had earned her mocking and teasing in varying degrees of severity from all of her housemates and friends once word got out. After all, there had to be thousands of applicants. What chance did she have of winning? The contest was probably rigged anyway, if it wasn't an outright scam, and she really should have known better. But what can one expect from a ditz like Natsuru?

And then she won.

To Natsuru's credit, she had kept the gloating a minimum, and on the occasions when she had indulged in a little rib-poking, Shizuku had defended her lover's right to rub it in. "She earned it, after all," was the stated reason. "Even if it was pure dumb luck. But fortune does favor the foolish." Mami strongly suspected that Shizuku's uncharacteristic tolerance came from receiving a free trip to New Kingston.

At any rate, the original plan was to have a couple of the Freehaven dock girls come over to supervise the Nautilus Platform's operations in the meantime. But then Charlotte had suggested that they let her and Mami fly solo for the week.

"I mean, come on," she had said. "It's not like we haven't been doing this every day for months. We know how to run this place better than any of Vickie's girls. Besides, what better way to learn?"

Shizuku had been skeptical at first, especially since neither of her wards was entirely emotionally stable just yet. However, with some supportive prodding from Natsuru, she had relented, on the condition that they continue to fulfill at least half the Platform's daily quota of mermaid eggs, that they call Vickie _immediately _should something go wrong, that they continue to take their medication without complaint, that the Platform's extensive alarm system not be taken offline for any reason, and that they do not call Shizuku or Natsuru for any reason other than to exchange small talk and gossip.

Though Mami had not argued, she personally wished that they did have someone over to watch the place. While she knew that they could keep up the harvesting and avoid burning the place down for a week, she was just scared of being left alone, which was odd, seeing how she had lived by herself for the last year of her life. But Shizuku and Natsuru had practically led her by the hand ever since she had arrived, and going on knowing that they were not in the next room was an intimidating thought.

Well, at least Charlotte would be there. That was a definite upside. And maybe spending a weekend alone with her girlfriend did have its advantages. Cheered by the thought, Mami relaxed just a little bit.

Soon a voice sounded over the skyport's intercom. _"Now boarding: 7:30 PM departure for New Kingston at Gate A-3."_

"And that would be us," Shizuku said, standing. She hefted her shoulder bag. "All right, let's go."

She and Natsuru headed toward the line to board, with Mami and Charlotte following to see them off. "You know, considering we're the ones who will be doing all the harvesting, don't you think we should be allowed to keep the money?" Charlotte said as they walked.

"What?" Natsuru said, sounding surprised. "Well, uh, I guess…"

"Oh, certainly," Shizuku said, nodding.

Charlotte blinked. "Wait, really?"

"Absolutely. Provided, of course, that you supply your own boat, tools, wetsuits, snorkeling equipment…"

"Okay, okay, point taken," Charlotte groused.

"…food, living space, shower, clothing, bedding…"

"I get it! Normal cut, check goes right to your account, etcetera."

"Glad we got that straightened out." They were near the gate now. Outside a glittering mechanical serpent was curled up on the tarmac. It was as almost as long as a city block and made from pure silver, and its hide shone with topazes, emeralds, and sapphires.

"Aw," Natsuru said, her face falling. "I wanted one of the gold ones."

"Oh, I think silver has a certain elegance to it." Shizuku turned to Charlotte and Mami. "Well ladies, looks like this is it. Remember the rules. No parties, no one over that isn't a professional brought over to solve an emergency, no violent episodes, keep an eye on the gas…"

"Yadda, yadda, yadda," Charlotte said, rolling her wrist impatiently. "There's a big honking list on the refrigerator. We're not going to forget."

"Oh, let me have my fun." After a round of farewells and other pleasantries, it was finally time for Shizuku and Natsuru to leave. They stepped through the gate and headed toward the elysian.

"Well, there they go," Charlotte remarked as she and Mami watched their hosts leave.

Mami nodded. "Yes."

"I still can't believe it. New freaking Kingston. How in the hell did she pull that off?"

Mami slipped her hand into Charlotte's. "Well, someone had to win," she said as she leaned in close and laid her head against the taller girl's shoulder. "Why not her?"

"Law of Personal Association. High profile contests that are determined by random chance will always go to someone you have never heard about."

"Oh really?" Mami said wryly. "Then explain that." She nodded toward the departing elysian as it circled higher and higher into the sky. When it reached the top of its corkscrew, two thin arms extended to either side of its head and a glistening membrane stretched from them to near the end of its tail. And then it was off.

Charlotte watched until it was out of sight. Then she shook her head and said, "Natsuru."

"What?"

"That's my explanation. She won because she didn't know better." The two girls turned and headed away. "Ah well, at least we've got the place to ourselves."

Mami's discomfort returned. "Yes. There is that."

Laughing, Charlotte elbowed her in the side. "Stop being so gloomy! We'll be fine. We've come a long way since we first got here, after all."

…

_Then…_

"And last but not least," Shizuku said, opening the next door with a flourish. "This is the guest room! As the name implies, this is the room set aside for the use of our guests; which includes you two for the foreseeable future."

If either of her guests found her cavalier attitude to be amusing, neither of them showed it. They simply entered the room and looked around with expressionless eyes. "It's…it's nice," Mami said. And it was, with its walls, sloping ceiling and floor made from stained wooden panels; two neatly made up beds; a bookshelf loaded with worn paperbacks; and a dresser sitting under a circular window at the far end. Simple, but comfortable. However, neither Mami nor Charlotte were feeling especially talkative, for reasons completely unrelated to their hosts or the seabound house they had been brought to.

"It is," Shizuku said agreeably. "Now, so long as you two are staying here, our home is your home. Feel free to avail yourself of the kitchen or the bathroom, and should you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask."

Behind her, her girlfriend Natsuru suddenly blurted out, "We're also going to see some friends later on this evening. Friday's poker night, you see. If you want to come, you're more then-"

Shizuku swiftly clamped a hand over the blunette's mouth. "Natsuru, honey, I think that playing cards is the furthest thing from our guests' minds." She turned Natsuru around and marched her out the door. "And in light of the circumstances, I think we can forego poker night for one week." Turning to look over her shoulder, she said, "You'll probably want to get freshened up. Just a word of warning: the hot water only lasts for five minutes, so do beware. And if you feel like eating, dinner's at eight."

With that, she left, closing the door behind her.

Mami considered cleaning herself up. A shower did sound wonderful; after all, she hadn't so much as changed her clothes since their arrival, and she was still covered with dirt, sweat, and other pieces of filth picked up during their long trek through the forest.

Instead, she walked over to one of the beds and collapsed on top of it, still fully clothed. The shower could wait. For now, she was exhausted beyond belief.

Behind her, she heard Charlotte wordlessly fall into the other bed. Mami supposed that the other girl was less in the mood to talk than she was, and while Mami was fine with that, she found herself suddenly wishing that they could talk about _something. _If she was talking, she didn't have to think. And thinking only made her acknowledge horrible truths that she had been staunchly trying to avoid.

But now, as she lay quietly in the dark room, she could hide no longer. They rose up in her mind and sank into her heart, threatening to suffocate her.

Dead. She was actually dead. This was the actual afterlife. Not even close to what she had pictured, to be honest. Granted, she had never really had a clear idea of what she had expected; only that she would be reunited with her mother and father, and they would live happily together for the rest of eternity. Copious amounts of trees, flowers, and sunshine also featured prominently, but those had just been backdrops.

But now, everything was different. She had gone through the great beyond and found…what had she found? Terrible truths, for one. She had been deceived, completely and utterly duped by someone she had thought to be her dear friend. Kyubey had lied to her, claiming to be a savior from beyond the stars come to Earth to raise up heroes in order to defend it from monsters indescribable. But instead, he was no better than a butcher, a butcher that trained the cattle into slaying one another. That's all she had ever been to him: brainwashed into doing the butchering for him, and the monsters she had been fighting, had been _killing_ were nothing more than other girls. Girls just like herself, girls just like…

Mami rolled over to look at her roommate. Charlotte lay with her back toward her, presumably asleep. Mami wondered about her. What had her life been like? Did she have a family, one that was still alive and waiting for her to come home? Did she have a mother who had read her stories as a child and fretted over her whenever she caught sick? Did she have a father who had helped her with her homework or had been as nervous as her own had been when it came time to explain exactly how human reproduction worked? Brothers and sisters, with whom she had played and fought with equal amounts of enthusiasm? Friends? A boyfriend, maybe? Pets? Plans for the future? Hobbies? Favorite television show? Anything?

Whatever it was, it was now gone. Charlotte claimed to remember nothing of substance about her life. If she did have a family, they were probably still frantically searching for her, speaking to the police daily and hiring detectives, all the while praying that she would be returned safely to them, that she hadn't been taken by some lunatic and used for nefarious purposes. Unfortunately, the truth was far more horrible than they could comprehend.

Then Mami was struck by another troubling thought. Had _she _known Charlotte, or at least known of her? Had they gone to school together, passed each other in the halls without ever learning each other's names? Mami didn't really remember anyone who looked like Charlotte, save for maybe Madoka Kaname, and there the resemblance was simply passing. But given the size of the school, it was certainly possible.

As her mind delved deeper into her dark thoughts, Mami found her fingers curling into a tight fist. Then tears came unbidden as her breathing grew ragged. This wasn't right. Kyubey and his kind had no right to use them the way they had. She had been robbed, Charlotte had been robbed, and now the blood of all those girls was on her hands…

When she heard the sound of crying, her first thought was that it was her own. But then she saw Charlotte's shoulders shaking, and realized that the girl was probably drowning in dark thoughts of her own. Mami wondered if she should do something. Maybe she could say something comforting, or touch her shoulder, or even hold her as she cried, thought admittedly that last one would go both ways. Mami really wanted someone to embrace her then.

But she didn't. Even though they had forgiven each other and became friends of a sort, there were still walls. Mami couldn't look at the tail without remembering that hideous clown-caterpillar that had ended her life, and she knew that Charlotte still remembered what it was like to be blown to pieces as Mami had pursued her through Dead Drop City. She hoped that time would heal those wounds. Goodness knew how much they needed friends.

Sniffling, Mami turned to her back and stared up at the ceiling. Her eyelids were starting to grow heavy. And though she had never really been all that religious, as sleep took her she found herself praying to anyone that would listen for those that she had left behind: that Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki would be protected from Kyubey's schemes; that Homura Akemi, once thought an enemy but now proven to have been right all along, would be successful in protecting them; and that her fallen partner, Kyoko Sakura, would realize the truth before it was too late.

_Please God, _she thought as darkness claimed her. _Or gods. Anyone. Give them the chance I was denied. Please, spare them at least. _

…

_Now…_

Freshly showered and changed, Mami stepped out from the Nautilus Platform's small bathroom. She shook out her damp hair, letting it fall around her shoulders. Humming to herself, she wandered into the living room and looked around.

Though Mami had been very nervous about being without her hosts for four days, that was mostly centered on keeping the business going and making sure the Nautilus Platform stayed in one piece without their supervision. It wasn't until they were gone and she and Charlotte were back at the Platform that she noticed that there was another problem with Shizuku and Natsuru being gone.

And that was just how _quiet _things were without them.

She had never really noticed it before, but the two of them were pretty animated, and their evenings were often filled with the four of them jabbering away over a variety of subjects. But now that it was just her and Charlotte, the Platform felt a whole lot smaller. Not that they weren't capable of conversation on their own, but it did feel like something essential was missing.

Maybe she could call…no, it had only been a little over an hour since they had left, and it would take three for them to reach New Kingston. Mami sighed and used the hand towel in her hand to finish drying out her hair. She was just going to have to get used to their absence.

Strange though, Charlotte wasn't around. Usually around this time she could be found reading a book on the couch or working on a jigsaw puzzle. Mami quickly checked the rest of the house and, finding her girlfriend in none of the other rooms, called out, "Charlotte?"

"Out here," came the response from the outside. The front door was slightly ajar.

Mami slipped on a grey turtleneck sweater and went out into the chill night air. It was still mid-spring, and the weather had been very generous as of late, perhaps to make up for the heavy showers they had endured the previous month. Now, the sky was clear, the sea was calm, and the winds gentle. The moon shone brightly overhead, waxing three-quarters.

Being a bit on the isolated side, the Nautilus Platform didn't offer much more than the surrounding catwalk to those in the mood for an evening walk, but what it lacked in size it made up in ambience. Mami closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, letting crisp, sharp air fill her and clear her mind. She hadn't had much opportunity to visit the ocean during her previous life outside of the occasional trip to the beach with her parents, and in her final year she had never found the time or inclination to do even that. Perhaps she should have made the attempt. It might have helped her see things more clearly.

Charlotte was sitting on the edge of the catwalk, her legs dangling over the side and her arms resting on the middle bar of the railing. A blanket had been laid out for her to sit on, with part of it draped over her shoulders. Noticing that Charlotte had spread enough of the blanket to form a second seat, Mami took it as an invitation and gladly accepted.

"Evening, miss," Charlotte said as Mami slide into the spot beside her. "Come around here often?"

Feeling playful, Mami said, "Oh, on occasion. When I have a cute little pinkette to keep me company."

Charlotte grinned fetchingly. "Hmmm, sorry. Not many of those around these days. Would you settle for snarky and tall?"

Laughing, Mami slipped an arm around Charlotte's slim waist and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Well, it's not my usual habit, but I think I can make a onetime exception."

"You are too generous, my dear lady. I'll try not to disappoint."

They sat in silence for a time, listening to the ocean as it gently lapped against the Platform. Mami had to admit, she did miss the soothing drone of the night insects, but this was definitely an acceptable substitute.

"So," Charlotte said, breaking the silence. "A whole week, all to ourselves." She glanced at Mami and smirked. "Still nervous?"

"A little," Mami said honestly. "It does feel very strange, not having them around."

"Mmmm, a bit." Charlotte looped an arm around Mami's shoulders and drew her in close. "But I think we'll be all right."

"I know," Mami sighed as she leaned in, resting her head in its usual spot on Charlotte's shoulder. That was one of the great parts of dating someone taller than herself: her head and Charlotte's shoulder were of perfect fit. "It's funny though. I lived by myself all through my last year of life, and here I am, worrying so much about one week."

"Well, you weren't in charge of a moderately successful smelly, squishy ball harvesting business back then," Charlotte said with a snicker.

"Yes, but I did have to…" Mami realized she was one word away from making a _serious _faux pas, and quickly adjusted. "I mean, it wasn't like I didn't have responsibilities!"

That wasn't much better, but though she was certain that Charlotte had picked up on the witch-hunting reference, she thankfully didn't comment on it. "Maybe, but no one really knew about them," Charlotte said, idly fingering a lock of Mami's hair. "You screw up here, you got Shizuku coming down on you."

Mami glanced up at her. "Do you really think that's all there is to it? Fear of Shizuku?"

"Well, not really," Charlotte said, shrugging her free shoulder. "To be honest, I think it's more of fear of not having Shizuku. Or Natsuru. It's the fear of being taken off the leash, to go forth without them leading us by the hand." She made a dramatic flourish with her right hand. "I mean, up until now, even if we screwed up big time, we could always count on them to bail us out. But now, we're on our own, standing together against a frightening, yet exciting, new world!"

There was a long pause, and then Mami quietly pointed out, "They're gone for one week…"

Charlotte laughed. "Yeah, but I like the way I tell it better." She looked down at Mami and grinned. Beneath the catwalk, her leg started to roam over the back of Mami's calf. "Besides, I don't think you're really considering the numerous advantages of having them gone!"

"With that long list-

"I wasn't talking about parties." Charlotte turned toward Mami and gently cupped her cheek with her hand. "I was talking about no more Shizuku Zone," she said, her grin growing ever larger.

Mami's stomach plunged and her breath caught in her throat. The Shizuku Zone was Charlotte's nickname for their host's uncanny tendency to always show up whenever her wards were engaging in any physical intimacy more passionate than simple kissing and gleefully ruin the moment. While Shizuku had repeatedly denied that her appearance in all such instances was a complete coincidence, the fact that she always wore that infuriating knowing smirk whenever she showed up did not set Charlotte's suspicions to rest, and she had repeatedly accused her host of possessing some kind of psychic ability.

But if Mami were to be fully honest, though she had always been embarrassed and disappointed whenever Shizuku spoiled another moment, she felt a little relieved as well. Though she had never admitted it to Charlotte, advancing the physical aspect of her relationship with Charlotte had always felt…wrong. And what galled her was that she wasn't exactly sure why. At first she had assumed her hesitation was due to lingering remnants of the aversions she had originally possessed toward same sex relationships, but the more she had thought about it, the less sense that made. She had gotten over that a long time ago. Then she had wondered if it were due to her and Charlotte being unmarried. That had made a little more sense, but not enough to satisfy her. Living with Shizuku and Natsuru and her interactions with her friends from Freehaven had also eroded her reservations concerning that subject, and while she would still like to one day be married, she no longer clung to her old views of the proper order of things like she once had.

So what was the problem? It wasn't traditional morality; it wasn't fear of pregnancy, disease, or dishonor; it wasn't even the inherent nervousness of plunging into something so new and exciting, though that was almost certainly a factor. It just felt wrong; there was no other way to describe it. It felt like she was sneaking into someplace she didn't belong to take something she had no right to. Which of course was ridiculous, but while her mind was well aware of this, her gut still twisted with guilty discomfort.

But now that Shizuku was gone…

"Oh!" Mami said, her face burning bright pink. She timidly looked away. "Well, there is that…"

Chuckling, Charlotte swung her legs up and sat down on her knees. "Finally caught on, did'ja?" Despite the pinkette's cavalier attitude, the pitch in her voice and the way she was trembling told Mami that she was pretty nervous about this herself.

"You know…" Mami swallowed noisily. "You are usually more…up front with…things."

"Yeah, but we have this nice, romantic mood going," Charlotte said. "Didn't want to kill it."

Mami hesitated, and said, "Char, I don't know if…"

Charlotte silenced her with a finger to her lips. "Only go as far as you feel comfortable," she said, staring intently into Mami's eyes. "If you want to stop, just say so."

Mami numbly nodded, and Charlotte leaned forward to kiss her. After a brief moment, Mami closed her eyes and responded.

_Actually, this is pretty nice. _Mami let herself relax a little and let herself enjoy the feeling of Charlotte's lips moving against her own. After all, this at least was familiar territory.

Then Charlotte moved in closer. She slowly moved her slender arms around Mami's waist, her fingers timidly roaming over her curves until she reached her back. At the same time, she continued to lean forward, gently bearing Mami down to the blanket. Their kiss deepened, and Mami could feel Charlotte's tongue poking its way out from between her lips to brush up against her own.

The next thing Mami knew, she was lying flat on her back, with Charlotte lying full upon her, with one hand cupped behind Mami's neck and the other one wandering up and down her hip. She pushed herself in as hard as she could, their breasts pressing together through the fabric of their clothing.

_Oh God, _Mami thought numbly as she felt the weight of the pink-haired witch move against her. _This is really happening. _They were now dancing along the edge of the Shizuku Zone. In fact, she was fairly certain they were now well past it. Her heart pounded loudly, and though she knew it was only an illusion, the sound of it thundering in her ears was quite believable. Low growls were coming out of Charlotte's throat, and her hand fingers were starting to slip under the bottom of Mami's sweater and shirt, brushing against the soft flesh beneath.

But while the touch of Charlotte's hands and lips was sending sharp thrills through Mami's body, the pit in her stomach was yawning ever wider. This was…this was incredible no doubt, but it was _wrong. _She shouldn't be doing this, she had no right. But she couldn't stop! Her legs were moving through their own volition to wrap around Charlotte's, and their hips were starting to move in synch, rubbing against each other in an interesting way.

It was wrong. She didn't know why, but it was wrong. But she couldn't stop. Charlotte's tongue kept flicking and dancing over her mouth, teasing its way in. Mami finally opened her lips, letting it slip in, and…

And then the phone rang.

"Mother_fucker!" _Charlotte snarled into Mami's mouth. She lurched off of Mami, banged her hip against the railing, and hopped on one leg over to where the offending phone was. "Damn it! Daughter of an inbred Incubator!"

Now utterly bewildered, Mami stayed where she was, flat on her back and hands still held in front of her. She stared as Charlotte cursed her way over to the door.

"It's Shizuku, I know it is! She knows! Somehow she knows!" Charlotte snarled. She stopped partway down the catwalk and growled, "You know what? Screw it. Let's just let it ring."

Finding her voice at last, Mami said, "B-but what if it's an e-e-emergency?" Given that they were Freehaven's furthest piece of property out to sea, it wasn't uncommon for the mainland to call on them to head to the site of an accident.

Charlotte was silent for a time, then she snarled. "Damn it. It better be." With that, she stomped into the house. Taking a deep breath, Mami straightened herself up. Her body was shaking and her legs were wobbly, but somehow she managed to get to her feet.

Though her steps were unsure, Mami managed to make her way to the front door, holding onto the railing for support. Through the large picture windows, she saw Charlotte close her eyes, mumble something under breath, and finally answer the phone. "Yeeeessss?" she said through clenched teeth.

Though Mami couldn't hear the person on the other line, the expressions passing over Charlotte's face told her that this wasn't a social call. The angry grimace softened first into a look of confusion. "I-I'm sorry, who?" she said. Then her eyes widened. "Oh! Uh, hi?" She listened, and then said, "N-no, this is Charlotte, one of their, uh, employees. Right, right. Uh, I'm afraid not. They're on vacation right now. It just me and Mami for the week." The other person said something, and Charlotte's brow furrowed in concern. "Why, is…something wrong?"

Mami made it into the house. She eased herself into a chair and watched.

"Of course," Charlotte said. "We've been there a few times to…Wait, what happened?" She listened, and then her eyes widened with shock. "Oh my God, are they…Oh no. O-of course!" She shot a frantic look to Mami, who frowned and mouthed, _What is it?_

Charlotte covered the received and said to her in a loud whisper, "Emergency. Get the _ES _ready."

The _Electric Schwert _was the larger of the two craft owned by the Nautilus Platform. Though Mami couldn't fathom what sort of emergency would call for the bigger boat instead of the faster one, she didn't hesitate in running (well, stumbling. Her legs were still a little shaky) for the door, grabbing the keys as she went.

Down at the dock, Mami quickly untied the _Electric Schwert _from its moor and started the engine. Above, the door slammed, and Charlotte scampered her way down the girders to join her.

"Charlotte, what's going on?" Mami asked. "Who was that?"

Charlotte's face was pale. "Monica Linemann," she said as she strapped herself in. When Mami didn't immediately recognize the name, she added, "Y-you know, mayor's wife? Head of the Militia?"

Mami's eyes went wide. "The Militia? Then…"

"It's the _Aurora Borealis," _Charlotte said. She frantically motioned for Mami to get the boat moving. "It's under attack."

Mami gasped. "What?" she said as they pulled away from the Platform and headed out into open sea. "From what?" Then, with the slightest of hesitations, she said, "It's not…Oblivion, is it?"

Charlotte shook her head. "No," she said in a flat voice. "One of their girls just went full witch."

…

_Then..._

_Forward. Keep moving forward. Musket at the ready, senses alert, body poised to attack. The witch is here. Somewhere. Just have to find her. Just have to keep moving._

_The city is empty. Where is everyone? It is midday; the streets should be filled with people. And yet, she is the only living thing. Even the birds are gone. _

_Irrelevant. Her priority lies with the witch. The city will take care of itself. She needs only find the witch's labyrinth, enter it, and defeat its master._

_The skies are such a strange color though: dark yellow, like old amber._

_No sign of the witch on the streets. Move to the alleys, where the garbage cans are filled with teacups. She has to be getting close. She has to be…_

_Wait. A sound. Movement nearby. Someone has just entered the alley, another Puella Magi. An ally? A rival? Must be careful._

_Except she knows this newcomer. She knows her very well…_

_Kyoko! It's Kyoko, her former protégé! Elation soars through her veins. It is true, they had parted on unfriendly terms, but surely that now water under the bridge. Now was the moment she had dreamed of, when she and Kyoko would fight side-by-side again, and in the process mend their damaged relationship. _

_Strange though, Kyoko doesn't seem happy to see her. In fact, she looks downright hostile, with her face burdened by a grim look of determination. Confusion now. Why is Kyoko so angry? Surely she couldn't still be holding a grudge._

_More footsteps, and two other people enter the alley from the other end. What? Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki? But why would they…Their outfits, they're different. Madoka is wearing that frilly pink dress she had doodled in her notebook, whereas Sayaka's outfit resemble a military officer's dress uniform, done in blue and white. They've contracted! They've come to join her._

_But if that was the case, why did she then feel afraid?_

"_Found her," Kyoko growls. She readies herself, spear poised to strike. Sayaka and Madoka likewise take position behind her, blocking her exit._

_Wait, what was going on? Why were they-_

"_Don't let her get away!" Kyoko screams as she charges forward._

_No!_

_Move now, wonder later. Straight up, leaping over a fire escape. Up, up, up, over the rooftops, her pursuers close behind. But why were they chasing her? They were her friends! Were they affected by a witch's mark?_

_Plaza ahead, large one with a tall fountain in the middle. Not good. No cover. Move across it quickly and lose them in the-_

_Hit! Something striking from the side. Falling now, fountain below. _

_Pain. Hurt. Lying injured in the shallow water, fountain jets sprinkling from above like rain. Who-_

_New face, but still familiar. The mystery girl, Homura Akemi, staring down at her with merciless eyes. Can't defend self, too much pain. _

_Others approaching, Kyoko in the lead. This wasn't right. Why were they attacking her? They should be working together to find the witch, not-_

_Wait. A reflection in the water, that of a painted clownlike face. Whose was that? It couldn't be hers, she looked nothing like that. This looked more like…_

_No. No, no, no. It couldn't be. She wasn't a witch, she wasn't!_

_A scream of rage. Kyoko is now in the air, leaping toward her with her spear lifted high above her head._

"_This is for Mami, you twisted bitch!" Kyoko snarls._

_But she_ was_ Mami! Couldn't Kyoko see that? No, please don't-_

_The spear hits, and-_

-Mami snapped awake, the last vestiges of her terrified scream muffled by her pillow. Still caught up in the delirium of the dream, she frantically tossed away her sweat-soaked covers. Somehow the sheet has become tangled around her foot, forcing her to kick it away until she was free.

Whimpering to herself, Mami scooted up against the bedframe and curled up into a ball. She felt sick, horribly sick. Her face…it felt normal to her fingers, but she couldn't see it, so how could she tell?

"Not a witch," she cried softly. "I swear I'm not a-"

Then a sleepy said out of the darkness, "Mmmmm…Mami?"

Mami inhaled sharply. Her head jerked up and her eyes darted back and forth. "K-Kyoko?" she said fearfully.

There was a long pause, and then the voice said, "Nooooooo, definitely not Kyoko. Sorry if that's a disappointment."

There was a click, and the room lit up with a soft light, making Mami shy away. Another bed was nearby, and in it was…Madoka? No, not Madoka. This was…her name was…Charlotte. That was right. Let the dream drift away and remember.

They had been at the Nautilus Platform for nearly three weeks now, and Mami's nightmares were getting worse. She woke up crying more often than not, which put her in a sour mood for the rest of the morning. Charlotte and Natsuru had both tried to get her to talk about her dreams, but she had always evaded their questions and changed subject. It was her cross to bear, after all.

However, this was the first time she had woken up with a scream. There was no way she could pretend she was all right this time.

Charlotte squinted at her through sleep-bleared eyes, her hand still holding the chain of her bedside lamp. "What…what happened?" she yawned. "You sounded like you were being attacked or something."

Though her body was still shaking, Mami forced her muscles to unclench and her limbs to unwind. "I'm s-sorry," she said. "It was j-just another dream."

"Sounded more like a Class-A nightmare." Charlotte's brow furrowed with concern. "Do you want me to get Shizuku and Natsuru?"

Oh God, definitely not. "N-no," she said as she gathered her scattered bedcovers. "It was just a dream, no need to bother them."

"Yeah, but-"

"Just a dream," Mami said firmly. She pulled her blanket up to her chin and turned away from Charlotte. Hopefully the other girl hadn't noticed the tears on her cheeks. "I'm sorry I woke you. Go to sleep."

Several worrying seconds went by, and then Charlotte clicked off the light. Mami sighed with relief. She didn't need to worry the others with this. She could work through it on her own.

Except now that the light was gone, there was nothing holding the darkness back.

It surrounded her, pressing in from all sides and threatening to suffocate her. Mami could swear that there were shapes moving through the lightless room: vague but terrible creatures that danced on the edge of visibility. She squeezed her eyes shut, but it did no good. The monsters were still there, only now they had faces, those of witches she had battled against. There was the garden witch, the battle-axe witch, the spinning fan witch, the school uniform witch, the water bottle witch…

And Charlotte.

There was a strange rushing in her ears, one that she was certain did not exist outside of her mind. Her body started shaking again, more violently this time, and her breath came out in frenzied gasps. No water was touching her, but she was drowning, she was being smothered, she was being crushed under the weight of the darkness, she was…

Then someone sighed with resignation. There was a click, and the light returned.

"Mami," she heard Charlotte say. "Are you _sure _you're okay?"

Mami said nothing. If she tried, she would start crying. So she said nothing.

There was another sigh, and then she heard Charlotte slipping to the floor and walking over to her. The mattress creaked as Charlotte sat down on the side of Mami's bed.

"Mami," she said, laying a hand on the shivering girl's shoulder. "C'mon. Talk to me here."

A sob forced its way out of Mami's throat. She couldn't even turn to look at Charlotte. She didn't want her to see how scared she was.

"Mami?"

Nothing.

Finally Charlotte removed her hand. "All right," she said, and moved to slip off Mami's bed.

Before she knew what she was doing, Mami's hand shot out to grab Charlotte by the wrist. Startled, the pink-haired girl stiffened. She stared at Mami with questioning eyes, silently asking for an explanation.

But Mami had none to give. She herself didn't fully understand why she had stopped Charlotte from leaving. She just knew she wanted her to stay.

Fortunately, Charlotte seemed to sense this. Her shoulders relaxed and she shook her head. A small, almost-smile tugged at the edge of her lips. "Okay," she said in a soft voice. "Okay."

Mami nodded. She released Charlotte's wrist and lay back down, scooting forward a bit to give Charlotte room. Fabric rustled as Charlotte slipped under the blanket behind her. She shifted around so that they were back-to-back

"Just so you know, this bed isn't real wide," Charlotte said. "So if you start kicking in your sleep, my butt's going overboard." She yawned. "Just…keep that in mind, okay?"

Mami didn't laugh, but she did manage a smile.

"You want me to kill the light?"

Mami shook her head.

"'Kay," Charlotte murmured. "Oh, uh, Mami? You know, if you ever want to talk…"

"I know," Mami whispered.

"Okay." Charlotte yawned again. "'Night."

Even though she was the one facing the light, Charlotte was the first to drift back asleep. Mami stayed awake, staring at the door, thinking.

The light of the lamp kept the shadows of the room at bay, and the warmth from Charlotte's body held back the ones in Mami's mind, and yet she did not sleep. As she lay there, as the last clinging tendrils of the nightmare left her mind, taking with them that mindless fear, they left in their place a horrible realization.

The monsters in the shadows may be gone, but there was still one left. She was in the bed with Mami, so close that only the fabric of their pajamas separated them.

_Stop it, _Mami angrily told herself. _Charlotte's _not _a monster. She is _not _a witch, not the kind I used to fight. _

_She killed you, _whispered a small voice from the back of her mind. _As you tried to kill her. You are enemies._

_What happened was not her fault. Besides, we forgave each other. _

_You are enemies._

Mami's face grew hard. _No. The only enemies are Kyubey, Reibey, and the rest of their kind._

_She is a monster, a witch._

Mami's patience snapped. _I would have been too, had I not been killed! Only a few weeks at most, and I would have been like her! Now, be quiet and let me sleep!_

This time, there was no repeated counter-argument. Upset, confused, and scared, Mami closed her eyes and concentrated on calming down. Fortunately, now that the voice of her doubts had been silenced, Charlotte's presence was soothing. Mami could hear her easy breathing, and slowed her own breath to match the other girl's.

_This is actually kind of nice. _Mami glanced over her shoulder and smiled. It reminded her of the sleepovers she and her friends would have back when she was nine or ten, when everyone would snuggle closely together. Granted, the constant giggling was missing, but she didn't miss it.

However, something else was new. Something was crawling over her leg. Mami inhaled sharply. A witch had gotten in, a witch was…No, be reasonable. Was it Charlotte's hand? No, it didn't feel human. An animal, perhaps? Had a snake gotten into the house? Could snakes make it this far?

It started to wrap around her thigh, and Mami realized what it was. Shaking with terror, she quickly reached over and shook Charlotte's shoulder.

"Charlotte," she hissed. "Charlotte! Wake up!"

"Hmmm?" Charlotte mumbled as she turned just enough to see her.

"Y-your tail! Your tail is-"

"Tail?" Charlotte mumbled. She yawned and glanced under the blanket. "Oh. Whoops. Sorry about that. It does that, sometimes. I'd wake up and try to get up only to find it wrapped around the bedpost. Really annoying."

Her tail quickly withdrew and she tucked it under herself. "There. Shouldn't do that again. Sorry."

Soon she was again asleep, blissfully unaware that her bedmate was wide-eyed and shaking with fear, as visions of sharp teeth and hot drool danced in her head.

It was a very, very long night.

…

_Now…_

The boat shot through the dark waters, its lights barely illuminating the dark void in front of it. Mami was hunched over the steering wheel, which she held in an iron grip. Charlotte sat in the passenger's seat, her crossbow sitting in her lap.

Before too long, the lights of the _Aurora Borealis _came into view, soon followed by the facility itself. Originally it had been a shipping freighter that had the bad luck to be caught in a storm and run aground onto a sharp reef, ruining its hull in the process. Rather than spend the money on costly repairs and enchantments, the owners had instead sold the whole thing off to a group of researchers looking to establish a facility in Freehaven's waters. They had secured the ship to the reef, fixed up what they could, filled it with everything they needed, and then moved right in. As their closest neighbors, the girls of the Nautilus Platform were on quite good terms with them, and they had visited each other on a number of occasions.

But this time was no pleasure trip. Mami could see smoke rising from the facility. What was more, she felt something tugging at her, directing her toward the beached ship. It was a familiar sensation, and that horrified her. It was the same feeling her soul gem would give her when she had hunted witches.

The ship itself sat sandwiched between two rising rock walls, like a hotdog stuck between two buns. It rose up at an angle, with about a fifth of its length entering the water. Lights and sensory equipment had been set up along the rock walls, and a several catwalks and ladders were attached to their sides. One of the walls sloped down and evened out to a nearly flat surface that descended to the water. It was over this that the _Aurora Borealis's _dock had been constructed. Mami could see most of the researchers assembled on the dock. All of them looked frightened.

As Charlotte brought the boat up to the dock, Mami hopped onto to it and jogged toward the group. "Hey!" she called. "We're here! What happened?"

"Mami!" said Denna, an older Jewish girl with short hair and glasses, as she rushed up to embrace Mami. She was the head researcher. "Thank God you're here!"

"We came as quick as we could," Mami said. She gave Denna a comforting pat on the back and drew back. "What happened? Who was it?"

Pain filled Denna's eyes. "Jezebel."

Mami let out a small gasp. Jezebel had been the youngest of the team, a small, shy girl with olive skin and sad eyes. As a witch, she had multiple brass hoops sticking out of the back of her arms, neck, and back, requiring her to wear special garments to keep them from chafing her. She had always seemed so quiet, but Mami hadn't imagined that she would go so far as return to being a full witch.

"How?" she said in a low voice.

Denna shook her head. "We don't…I mean, she's always had…problems, but we had no idea they were this bad."

"Did she say or do anything before she witched out?" Charlotte asked as she approached.

"Not that I know, but I don't usually work with her." Denna looked at Mami and Charlotte's boat. "Are Shizuku and Natsuru coming?"

Mami shook her head. "No, they're on vacation. It's just us."

"Monica Linemann gave us a call," Charlotte supplied. "She said you needed help with the evacuation.

"Evacuation?" shouted one of the scientists. It was Nina, a little girl near Jezebel's age bearing the same complexion, though she was taller and wore her hair long. "We're just going to leave her there to suffer?"

This was met by a murmur of agreement from some of her friends, while the rest looked frightened by what was being suggested. "What exactly are you saying, Nina?" one of them said.

"What do you think?" Nina responded. "We need to go back in there and bring her back!"

And there was the problem. Should someone once again become a full witch, the only way to bring them back was to deal with them the old-fashioned way: enter their barrier and destroy them. Doing so released the negative energies and caused the poor girl to return to her original state. However, doing so was somewhat controversial, as demonstrated by the response Nina's suggestion received.

"Absolutely not!" Denna shouted.

"Why not?" Charlotte challenged. She hefted her crossbow. "Makes perfect sense to me."

It was then that Mami learned that, despite being brought back to their right minds and a human state, there were still some very fundamental differences that separated witches from Puella Magi. The team of scientists had a fair number of both groups, and it was the witches that looked like they were in full support of bringing Jezebel down. The Puella Magi, however, looked sickened by the very thought. Mami didn't blame them, as her heart was rebelling against the notion as well. It wasn't because doing so was considered inhumane (quite the contrary), but because, for a Puella Magi, having to once again fight a witch, this time with full knowledge of what they were and bearing lingering trauma of the circumstances surrounding their deaths, was an utterly abhorrent notion. Many tried to retreat as far from the duties given to them by the Incubators as possible, going so far as to refuse to use magic or summon weapons. Mami wasn't one of them, but even she was terrified by the thought of once again entering a witch's labyrinth.

However, this revulsion didn't extent to the witches themselves. "I'm with them," said one, a pigtailed girl whose exposed skin was patterned with red and black diamonds, clubs, spades, and hearts. "No way is Jezebel going to stay like that for another minute."

A small outcry rose up in response as the two sides started arguing with each other. However, further debate was cut off by the sharp sound of metal slicing into rock.

All eyes turned to Nina, who had summoned a large battle-axe made from green and yellow crystal and driven it into the rock wall. A look of grim resolution was on her face. "I'm going in there," she declared to the others. "And I'm not coming out without Jezebel. Come with me if you want, otherwise stay here and wait for the marshals."

Denna started to speak. "But Nina-"

Nina cut her off. "I'm not leaving her like that. I've already-" Her voice cracked, and she grimaced and tried again. "I already failed her for n-not seeing that she was hurting. I'm not going to fail her again."

Then, without waiting for a response, she bounded off toward the ship. A heartbeat later, the other witches followed. After a short hesitation, three of the Puella Magi went after them as well.

"Come on!" Charlotte shouted as she moved to follow.

"But-" Mami started to say. Unfortunately, Charlotte was already out of earshot.

Mami felt like she was being torn in two. She did _not _want to go anywhere near a full witch. Their twisted labyrinths still spread through her dreams, and the very thought of entering a new one froze her heart with dream.

But Charlotte was already entering the ship. How would Mami be able to live with herself if she abandoned her?

She shook her head. This was by far one of the strangest nights she had ever had.

Steeling herself the best she could, Mami leapt after her.

…

_Then…_

It took time for consciousness to return, but when it did, Mami was still on her bed, just as she had been when she had summoned one of her muskets and used it to blow her own head clean off.

She felt curiously lightheaded and idly wondered if she was still headless. She brought her hand up and confirmed that, nope, she wasn't. Her head was back where it belonged.

"She's awake!" she heard someone blurt out. Craning her neck, she saw that Shizuku, Natsuru, and Charlotte were all on the room with her. It was Natsuru who had spoken, and as soon as she saw that Mami was moving, she rushed over to her side.

"Are you okay?" she said, her face full of concern. "Why would you do something like that?"

Mami didn't speak. She just stared.

"Mami?" Natsuru said. "What happened? Why did you shoot yourself like that?"

With a small whimper, Mami let her head sink back into the pillow. She closed her eyes.

Shizuku cleared her throat. "Natsuru? I think you should give Mami some space."

"Okay." Mami heard Natsuru slowly move away from the bed.

A long pause followed, and then Shizuku said in a soft voice, "Mami? I took the liberty of calling Dr. Cynthia. She's on her way."

Dr. Cynthia was the therapist that Mami and Charlotte had been seeing to help deal with their post-death trauma. The sessions had helped, but Mami had always felt that there was something more to their new condition that they weren't being told, something horrible.

She had just found it.

Mami made a small sound of acknowledgement. It was all she felt like doing.

Another awkward moment passed, and then she heard someone leave the room. Cracking her eyes open just a peek, she saw that she was now alone with Charlotte.

The pink-haired witch was sitting hunched over on the edge of her own bed with her hands clasped over her knees and her head bowed. She looked absolutely miserable. Sniffling, she glanced up and said, "Why did you do that?"

Mami swallowed. She breathed in a rasping breath and croaked out, "What does…it matter? I'm…I'm a ghost. Just a ghost."

"Shut up!" Charlotte snapped. Startled by the sudden anger, Mami turned her head to stare at the other girl.

Charlotte got up and furiously stomped across the room. "Don't say that!" she shouted. "Don't you dare say something like that, as if that makes you any less real!"

"It's true," Mami insisted. Tears startled to prickle in her eyes, and that just upset her more. What right did something so natural have happening to her? "I don't…I don't even _bleed _anymore! Everything's a lie. Everything I feel, everything I think is normal, even my heartbeat isn't real. I'm just a ghost."

"Yeah? Well, I'm a ghost _and _a witch!" Charlotte shot back. "Does that mean I'm even less real than you are?"

Stunned, Mami could only stare in silence. After a time, Charlotte's trembling body started to relax, and she sat down on the bed next to Mami.

"Mami," she said slowly. "Look. I know you're scared. I am too. Things are…really weird right now, and I don't think they're ever going to stop being weird. But don't you ever scare me like that again. I can't lose you. You're one of the few friends I've got."

…

_Now…_

Jezebel had worked fast. Mere moments after she had entered the _Aurora Borealis, _Mami found herself entering her labyrinth.

Mami found herself standing at one end of a marble hallway. The ceiling overhead was curved into a long arch, and the floor was covered with red velvet. On the walls were framed pictures of keyholes, all of them crooked. At the other end was a door.

The others were there as well. Nina and the witches were racing toward the door, while the Puella Magi were hanging back.

Mami was one of the latter. She felt a wave of terror sink into the pit of her stomach. Grimacing, closed her eyes and clutched her musket tightly, willing it away.

"You, uh, going to be okay?" asked one of the girls.

Mami forced her eyes open. "I'll have to be."

"You know, you don't have to do this," another said. "Jezebel's our responsibility, not yours. So you don't have to-"

Instead of answering, Mami cocked her weapon and started moving forward. After a short hesitation, the others followed.

They joined Nina and the witches by the door. "All right," Nina told the others. "This place is going to be like a labyrinth, a literal one. Lots of turns, lots of corners, and lots and lots of doors. Each door will take you to a random part of the maze, all except for the red ones. Take three of those, and we'll make it to Jezebel. So, everyone stick together and follow me."

"What about those servant monsters?" Charlotte asked. She frowned. "What were they called again?"

"Familiars?" Nina said. She nodded. "They'll look like keys with stick-figure arms and legs, with facing floating in their keyrings. Forget the faces and hit them in the center of their mass. That'll take them down."

Mami blinked. "How do you know so much about this place?"

A small smile tugged at Nina's lips, one without much humor. "How do you think I died?"

And suddenly, Nina's attitude made a lot more sense. If a Puella Magi and a witch were to fall together, they rode the same wave of released energy down to the afterlife to wake up together in the same Spawning City. And once the truth was made clear to them, it was quite common that they would become very close friends afterward, sometimes even lovers. Mami and Charlotte were an excellent example, as was Freehaven's mayor and her wife.

There were certain stories and legends that claimed that when that happened, it was because dying together created a sort of spiritual bond between them, where one would feel incomplete without the other. Nothing had been verified, but it happened often enough to become the common belief. Mami certainly had no trouble believing it, and if she still had her doubts, the look on Nina's face was all the proof she needed.

"Any questions?" Nina asked. When no one offered any, she nodded and said, "Okay, let's go!" With that, she opened the door.

Nina hadn't been exaggerating about the labyrinth. If anything, she had understated her description. It was a winding nightmare of hallways, one that paid little heed to sense and the law of gravity. It was like something out of an MC Escher painting. The group found themselves making numerous turns around corners, running straight up walls, and scurrying across ceilings. And everywhere, there were doors: wooden doors, metal doors, beaded archways, double-doors, barred doors, glass doors, doggie doors, plastic doors, hatchways, sliding doors, and every other variety imaginable.

Remembering Nina's instructions, everyone was careful to ignore the doors and follow Nina. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to remember the exact way, but she plowed on relentlessly, navigating the maze with surety.

There! A red closet door was set into the ceiling up ahead. The group ran up the wall, turned the ceiling into the floor, and ran towards the door. Without hesitation, Nina threw it open and jumped in.

They found themselves in what could only be described and a three-dimensional hedge maze, one that formed a cube and floated in a blue sky. This time, instead of the topsy-turvy hallway, the doors were spaced along the hedges, which grew to about waist-height in between. Charlotte peeked over the hedge to the expanse beyond and whistled.

"Hey, Mami?" she said. "Were the labyrinths always this…freaky?"

Mami set her mouth in a straight line. "Well, the themes were all different, but yet."

"Okay then." Charlotte hesitated a moment before asking her next question. "Mine too, huh?"

Mami couldn't speak, so she just nodded. There was a flash of pain and regret in Charlotte's eyes, and she quickly turned away.

Mami took a deep breath and put her hand on her girlfriend's shoulder. Charlotte glanced and her and slowly covered it with her own, giving her fingers a light squeeze.

"Same rules as before," Nina shouted. "Only this time, don't fall!"

They started running again, but before they had gone far, the doors all opened around them.

And Jezebel's familiars appeared.

Like Nina had described, they were all human-sized keys of every type and make. They were standing upright with their teeth or pins facing down. Skinny, cartoonish legs and arms were stuck to their sides, and brass key rings were attached to the tops. In the center of each key ring was a ridiculous looking face with tiny eyes and comically large lips.

"What. The. Fuck." One of the witches deadpanned.

"Couldn't have said it better," another said, staring.

Despite the severity of the situation, it was actually kind of interesting. Thanks to the amnesia witches suffered, entering a barrier and encountering familiars was a wholly new experience for them, despite them presumably having done it several times as Puella Magi and even creating their own.

But there was no time to appreciate the irony, because the familiars were upon them.

They jerkily marched forward, waving theirs hands in the air, jabbering nonsense in the squeaky voices. Mami let old instinct resurface and take over. She took aim at an approaching truck key and fired. Her shot hit the center of its body and it fell to pieces. Before the metal shrapnel hit the ground, she had already pulled out two more muskets and destroyed a house key and, strangely enough, a card key. Nina and the three other Puella Magi did the same, drawing their respective weapons and going to work.

As for the witches…

The pigtailed one thrust her arms forward. The patterns on her arms glowed, and from them a flock of playing cards fluttered into the air. They swirled briefly around her before shooting out, slashing through the familiars like thrown blades. Another leapt onto the top of one of the doors and held out her hands. Three of the familiars were turned into giant photographs of themselves, which were then cut apart by whoever was nearby. A third turned her body into a swarm of tiny black snacks, which slithered over the familiars and sank their tiny white fangs into their bodies. Despite being made from metal or plastic, the anthropomorphic keys were bitten as easily as if they were made of flesh, and were quickly dissolved.

As for Charlotte, she had no useful witch powers that they knew of, at least none that she would allow herself to use. Instead, she merely crouched down and fired one bolt from her crossbow after another, blowing the familiars apart.

It was somewhat surreal. Though Mami had mostly worked alone, there had been times when she had teamed with other Puella Magi, but never this many. And having other witches fight beside her was…bizarre, to say the least. Together, they were making short work of the keys.

Unfortunately, there seemed to be no lack of them. They just kept pouring out of the doors in an endless tide.

"Keep moving forward!" Nina shouted. She swung her axe, slicing four keys in half. "We need to find the second door.

Everyone started running between the hedges, shooting, slicing, and smashing their way through the familiars.

"There!" one of the girls said at last. Partway down one of the paths was a rotating door made from red-tinted glass. The group instantly changed direction and ran toward it.

Then they heard the scream. Mami turned around and her face went white with shock. The photograph witch had been overpowered by the keys and was being dragged toward one of the doors.

"Ashley!" the card witch cried out. "Hold on, we're-"

Too late. Ashley was dragged through one of the doors, which then slammed shut.

Everyone started to move to save her, but then Nina screamed out, "Wait! Don't!"

"What?" said one of the other Puella Magi. "But we have to help her!"

"We can't!" Nina said. "Only the red doors are consistent. That one won't even take you to where she is!"

"Then what do we do?" another girl wanted to do.

"Reach Jezebel," Nina said. "Take down the labyrinth. It's the only way to help anyone."

The others tried to argue, but Nina slammed her axe into the ground. "We don't have time for this!" she shouted. "I've done this before! Trust me!"

She was right; there was no time to debate her. The familiars were coming again. Reluctantly they moved forward and passed through the spinning door.

The third labyrinth was the strangest one yet. It was another Escher-type construction, this one made up of hundreds of concrete cubes stuck together with some of them removed, forming an internal network of spaces and rooms. There was no consistency either: some of the rooms between had one exit, others three, and some were dead ends. And once again, the doors were everywhere: ceiling, walls, and floor alike.

"Oh, shit," Charlotte moaned. Mami agreed. Finding the red door in here was going to be next to impossible.

Fortunately, it seemed that Nina wasn't interested in old-fashioned searching. Instead, she simply drew her axe back and slammed it into the wall. The concrete block shattered into dust, while its attached doors remained, seemingly unaware that their support had been destroyed.

"Destroy the blocks!" she shouted. "The doors are indestructible, the blocks aren't!"

They set to work, everyone smashing the blocks with their weapons or, for those without, their bare hands. It didn't matter, the blocks were destroyed just the same.

Soon a space containing a several freefloating doors took shape. Mami summoned up her ribbons, forming a network of tightropes that allowed the others to reach the blocks out of reach.

"Where are the familiars?" she called to Nina.

"None here," she called back. "Last time, they were just in the second labyrinth and…" She winced. "…and around Jezebel."

"Nina!" one of the girls called. She was clinging to one of the upper blocks. Next to her was a red café door.

Mami formed a bridge, and everyone converged on the final door. Nina kicked it open, and they went through, entering the center of the labyrinth.

It wasn't a pretty sight.

It was an egg-shaped room, formed by nothing but thousands of red doors stacked on top of one another. More doors flew and soared in circles around the room. Several of the key familiars danced around on top of the flying doors.

At the bottom of the room was a giant keyhole, with a giant brass house key stuck inside. Attached to the key was a key ring, which was in turn attached to another key ring, which in turn was attached to several more key rings, dozens, maybe hundreds of them looped together, forming a humanoid shape that had more keys for fingers, hair, and teeth. Two other keyholes floating in place of eyes.

Jezebel, the Key Ring Witch.

Everyone gaped at the sight, with the remaining witches murmuring uneasily among themselves. Charlotte especially seemed dumbstruck by the sight, no doubt mentally putting herself in Jezebel's place. As for Nina, she stared with wet eyes at what her friend had become. The look on her face was absolutely heartbreaking.

Then her face hardened. "Bring her down!" she screamed.

Mami nodded, readying herself for a fight. They leapt forward as one, and the familiars moved to meet them.

Using both the doors and the bodies of the familiars as springboards, Mami bounded and rebounded forward, moving ever closer to Jezebel. Around her, everyone else did the same. As soon as they were able, they rained fire down on the witch, blowing apart keys and shattering metal hoops.

_I'd better end this quickly, _Mami thought. She glanced up toward the top of the room. There were very few familiars up there. If she could manage to get above Jezebel, she could send a Tiro Finale straight down.

Her course decided, Mami landed on one of the flying doors and crouched down, reading to propel herself upward.

And then the room dissolved. The door all faded away like mist, the familiars vanished, and the door she was crouching on turned into a metal catwalk. The next thing she knew, Mami was standing in the engine room of the _Aurora Borealis._

Dumbstruck by the sudden turn of events, it took Mami's mind several seconds to realize what had happened. Even when she had worked alone, she had been more than capable of quickly defeating witches on a fairly regular basis. As such, against a team, a single witch would go down very fast. While she had been considering how best to deliver the killing blow, someone else had gone and done it instead.

Well. Okay then.

"Mami!" Charlotte cried as she ran across the catwalk toward her girlfriend. Mami started to stand up straight, but was brought down by a flying tackle.

For a long while, neither of them moved; they didn't want to. They just lay there, with their arms held tightly around each other. Charlotte was trembling, and Mami was pretty sure she was too. All in all, that had been one of the most horrific things they had gone through since their deaths.

Finally Charlotte's body stopped shaking. She sighed into Mami's chest and looked up. They regarded each other for a moment, as if trying to reassure themselves that the other was there. Then Charlotte relaxed. "Thank God," she murmured, and leaned down to kiss Mami on the lips. This time, there was no nervousness, no guilt. Just simple shared affection.

They held the kiss for a time, celebrating that it was over. Then Charlotte drew back and rested her head on Mami's chest again. "Are you okay?" Mami said in a low voice.

Charlotte shivered. "I think my nightmares just upgraded. I mean, wow." She glanced up. "You?"

"I don't know," Mami said honestly.

"Yeah."

They might have stayed that way longer, but the sound of weeping drew their attention. Charlotte rolled off of Mami and they both sat up and look down the floor below.

Nina was there, sitting on her knees. Held tightly in her arms was a small, naked girl, whose back, arms, and neck were pierced by dozens of key rings.

…

_So hey, this is happening. I guess an explanation is in order._

_See, a few months back I made a deal with angel0wonder, the writer of A Happy Dream. The details aren't important, but my end was that I had to write a MamiLotte lemon. And though the subject of sex is honestly a rather uncomfortable one for me to write about, I'm a man of my word and did my best. _

_That's the official reason for this story at least. Truth is, there are other reasons as well, and the deal was really more of an excuse. But it's 4:30 in the morning and I'm freaking tired. So I'll post the full…whatever it is on my tumblr after I get some sleep. So yeah. Tumblr, few hours, link's on my profile. Full explaininess, I promise. _

_And yes, I know this chapter jumped around a lot in regards to tone and…well, everything. Sorry about that. Most of it was me distracting myself while working up the nerve to tackle that scene on the catwalk. The next two chapters should be more streamlined._

…

_I'm new at this sort of thing, okay? Leave me allllooooonneee! _

_Bah, I'm rambling. Sleep times are now. Like I said, there'll be two more chapters. And stuff. Yeah._

_=cough=_

_Welp, until next time everyone. Boy, this is gonna be interesting. _

_Oh, and happy birthday, angel! Hope you liked it! _


	2. First Confessions

First Confessions

_It's the most wonderful feeling._

_Smiling from ear to ear, she leaps her way through the witch's barrier. She could not recall ever feeling so happy, so light of heart. After all, she had just found a friend, a real one. No longer will she spend her days by herself in an empty apartment. No longer will she have to spend her nights fighting alone. Her solitary life is finally over, and now her soul soars will elation._

_What is more, the witch is not putting up much of a fight at all. It is very small, looks like a doll, and moves very slowly. All the better! A few shots here, a few shots there, and it is batted from one end of the dessert-filled room to the other. This is almost too easy. She glances over her shoulder toward her two kouhais, one of which had just agreed to join her, and sends them a confident wink. Strange though, they seem so far away. She can't even make out their faces._

_No matter. The witch would be finished soon, and all will be all right. It rises up on a lattice of golden threads, and her smile grows. It didn't think it would be that easy, did it?_

_In her hand, her musket glows and expands, becoming a huge cannon. "Tiro Finale!" she cries, and blasts right through its body. Immediately after the hit, she wraps the injured witch in ribbons and draws them in tight, intending to squeeze it until it pops. _

_But though she seems to be mere seconds from finishing, something gives her pause. This all seems very familiar. She hasn't done this before, has she?_

_Then the witch's face bulges, and dread grips her heart. Oh no, it was coming. She doesn't know how she knows, she just knows that her death was coming. And there is nothing she can do to stop it. Her body paralyzed by fear, she can only stand and stare as the witch's mouth opens while, and out comes…_

"_Hey Mami," says the slender girl with short pink hair as she emerges from the witch's mouth. She isn't wearing a stitch of clothing, and does not seem to be at all bothered by her nudity. With a cheeky grin, she strolls over stunned magical girl, hips swaying in deliberate provocative fashion. _

"_Wh-what?" Mami stutters as Charlotte approaches. "No, wait. Th-this isn't what happens."_

"_But isn't this better?" Charlotte murmurs as she coyly twirls one of drill-tails around her finger. "Or would you rather I had been the caterpillar?"_

"_But-" The rest of Mami's protest is silenced when Charlotte places her mouth over hers. Rather than resist the sudden action, Mami finds herself responding, pressing into the kiss while her right hand wanders down Charlotte's arm to lace their fingers together and her left wanders around her lover's body to rest on her rear._

_Then, without noticing the transition, she is again lying flat on the ground with Charlotte stretched over her. Their hands are still gripping tightly to each other, while Charlotte's free hand is moving up Mami's front to squeeze her breast, making her body arch with pleasure._

_Feeling utterly lightheaded, Mami shoots a glance to where Madoka and Sayaka had been crouching, only to find them gone. Confusion washes through her. Where had they gone? Why was Charlotte here? Furthermore, why was _she _here, when she clearly remembers having died and-_

_And then she understands. With great force of will, Mami pulls back from the kiss. "Th-this is a dream," she says, panting. _

_Charlotte smiles down to her. "Yes," she says in a throaty voice. "But you don't want it to be." Then she leans in to kill Mami again, and her hand slips down to slide into Mami's skirt._

"Nnnnnnngggghhhhh!"

Mami awoke in the throes of an earth-moving orgasm. Heat moved through her like the rising tide, and she had to bite down on her tongue to keep from crying out. Her hands clutched at the sheets, gripping tightly as her body arched up.

Finally it passed, and Mami collapsed back into the mattress with a small sob. What in the world was wrong with her? Being shocked awake by strong emotion was nothing new to her, but it was usually something like fear, anger, guilt, desperation, or loneliness. Never in her life had she been so overwhelmed by lust like that. It just didn't happen like that!

_Why not? _said that small voice that always popped up to counter whatever she was trying to tell herself. _You're a perfectly healthy young woman who is in a relationship with another perfectly healthy young woman. It is only natural that your attraction for her would extend to the physical. _A pause, and then, _And quite a bit beyond. Hot damn._

Mami didn't have the willpower to argue. She just lay still and concentrated on bringing her body back under control. It wasn't easy. Her body was still shaking, her breathing ragged, and her eyes prickled with tears. Plus, there still was all that heat coming from-

"Mami?"

Mami's eyes snapped open and she turned her head. To her horror, Charlotte was there in the bed next to her, looking at her with concern.

Oh no. She had seen.

"Mami, you okay?" Charlotte asked. She furrowed her brow. "You sounded like you were scared out of your wits."

Mami said nothing. Her mind was still on lock-down.

"Another nightmare?"

Oh, so that's what she was thinking. All right. Mami could work with that. "Y-yes," she said, squirming deeper under the covers. "That's it exactly."

Charlotte made a face. "Well, join the club. Every time I closed my eyes, I kept seeing those freaky key people. And we got off easy. Poor Ashley had to be sedated earlier this morning."

Ashley. The girl that had gotten dragged off by the familiars. Mami had no trouble recalling her terrified face, or the sound of her screams. "Is she…"

"No idea," Charlotte said, sounding troubled. "From what I hear, she's…okay, but kind of shellshocked." She tilted her head quizzically. "And speaking of which, what about you? You were out pretty hard."

Instead of answering right away, Mami took stock of their surroundings. They were definitely not at home, nor were they at the _Aurora Borealis. _Instead, both she and Charlotte were in curtain-enclosed white-sheeted beds in a clean, green room. A tall, silver machine sat between their beds, its elegant design and gem-encrusted surface speaking of its enchanted nature. From it dangled two IV tubes, one for each of their arms. Beyond Charlotte's door was an open window, through which Freehaven could be seen.

Dr. Young's clinic. Mami had only been there a couple of times, her most recent time being to visit Charlotte after the pink-haired witch had suffered a very nasty animal bite. It was a nice place overall, more homey than the hospitals she remembered, but she didn't much care for waking up in it. Charlotte liked it even less. The last time, she had been antsy her whole visit, claiming that it gave her the creeps. Given what Mami remembered of the hospital theme in Charlotte's labyrinth, she wouldn't be surprised if her aversion was somehow related.

"Me?" she said at last. "Well, I'm…"

She thought on the question. Physically, she was all right. Still a sleepy-minded though, not to mention _ravenously _hungry, a common side-effect of using too much magic in too short a time. Given that the body she now wore was literally her soul which had previously been encased inside her soul gem, the effects of using magic were now translated to the physical, often manifesting as fatigue and hunger instead of the darkening of a tiny magic jewel that needed to be cleansed by grief seeds.

But though she would be fine as soon as she had gotten a decent meal, Mami still wasn't sure if she was all right. Entering a witch's labyrinth again had been…troubling. She had spent the last few years rebuilding herself after having her mind and spirit broken by the truth, and reencountering the eldritch product of the Kyubey's deception threatened to shake her damaged foundations. The afterlife, Freehaven especially, was supposed to be a sanctuary against the Incubators' work. Having one of her friends return to full witch state like that and witness the effects made Mami feel violated.

And to top it off, she still had to sort out her confused feelings toward Charlotte, as that dream had just demonstrated. Mami moaned internally. And to think the decision of whether or not she was ready to have sex with her girlfriend was somehow prominent in her mind when it had the possible psychological and spiritual trauma of entering Jezebel's labyrinth as competition.

"Confused," she said at last. "Very confused. But I think I'll be all right."

Charlotte did not look convinced. "Okaaaay," she said slowly, unconsciously scratching at the needle in her arm. "Uh, look. About last night…"

Mercifully, the door opened, sparing Mami what would no doubt have been a very uncomfortable conversation. The curtains were drawn back, revealing an exceptionally short girl, identifiable due to her oversized lab coat, ridiculous green slouch hat, giant glasses, long dark hair cut Hime style, and a face whose expression rarely strayed further than "Bored apathy." Her name was Dr. Young, and she was the only doctor in town.

"'Sup?" she greeted as she walked over to the enchanted IV machine. "Sleep well?"

Mami really wished she wouldn't ask questions like that. Dr. Young had this uncanny way of always knowing when something was being hidden from her. Making sure her lap was covered, she said, "More or less."

"Uh-huh. Well, if you count 'like a log in a coma' to be more-or-less. Charlotte didn't wake you with a kiss, did she? 'Cause I know how you two have a sort of tendency for that sort of thing."

"Oh, for Pete's sake," Charlotte muttered. Mami, who remembered full well the event that Dr. Young was alluding too, sighed in agreement.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Hold still for a moment, okay?" Dr. Young gave Mami a quick look-over, inspecting how well her eyes were focusing and testing her reflexes. She harrumphed her satisfaction and pulled out a syringe.

"This is gonna sting, but you're a big girl, you'll be fine," Dr. Young said. Mami watched as the pint-sized physician extracted a measure of Mami's yellow soul vapors and inject them into a black plastic cylinder with rounded ends. It beeped.

"Welp, looks like you're doing okay," Dr. Young announced. "Vapors are runnin' a little thin, but that's normal. Bet your stomach is real rumbly right now, huh?"

Mami nodded. "Very."

"You ain't the only one." Dr. Young shook her head. "Okay, we'll get you set up with some breakfast then."

Charlotte coughed. "Yeah, about that…"

"No," Dr. Young said without turning to face her.

"Oh, come on!"

"No. I'll let you go when your main squeeze here is ready to leave, and not a moment before."

Mami stared at them in bewilderment. "Ex-excuse me?"

"Oh, nothing important," Dr. Young said. "It's just that Charlotte here had a bit of an-"

"Nothing!" Charlotte said emphatically. "It's nothing!"

Mami felt like she had missed something important.

"Anyway," Dr. Young said, smirking. "Big Boss Lady's here, and wants a word or two with you, but she said it could wait until after you've replenished some electrolytes."

Big Boss Lady? Mami felt her heart rise. "Y-you mean the mayor?"

"Close, very close, but you're on the wrong side of the altar." Dr. Young tipped her hat as she headed for the door. "Cheerio, ladies."

Monica Linemann then, the one that had called them. That made sense. After all, as the head of the Militia, she would be the one to ask questions in the aftermath of a crisis. Mami turned to Charlotte and whispered, "Are we in trouble?"

Charlotte shrugged. "I think we're gonna get lectured, but nothing too harsh."

"Oh, okay." A lecture she could handle. Mami was about to ask another question, but then she noticed something unusual. For whatever reason, Charlotte's arms were handcuffed to the side of her bed. The chains were long enough to allow her free range of motion, but she definitely wasn't leaving without someone unlocking her.

"Charlotte, um…" Mami pointed to the cuffs. "Why are you, um…"

Charlotte sighed. "My fault. Sort of. I woke up long before you, and had to use the restroom. When I was coming back, I walked by the kitchen, and the door was open, and, well…"

Mami stared uncomprehending at her. Then the pieces put themselves together and she sighed. "Oh. It happened again, didn't it?"

"Ham and cheese omelet. Yup, it did." Charlotte lifted her left arm and jiggled the chain. "I kinda made a mess. I said I was sorry, but they're not letting me go until we're both ready to leave. And even then, they say I have to have an escort." She rolled her eyes. "Freaking annoying."

"I would imagine," Mami said. She tried to fight the smile of amusement that was passing over her face, though admittedly she didn't do a very good job.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Charlotte muttered. "This week just keeps getting better and better." She lay back with a sigh. A few moments passed, and then the playful annoyance on her face was replaced by a look of discomfort. "Look, Mami," she said. "About last night…"

Mami's chest tightened with dread. Oh no, here it came.

"I-I'm so sorry about what I did," Charlotte stammered. "I should have never forced you into that situation. That was, uh…" She snapped her fingers, trying to find the words. "Oh, forget it. Look, I was a tool, okay? Didn't mean to be, but I was."

"Char…"

"I mean, I didn't even stop to think what it would be like for you to go into Jezebel's labyrinth. Here I am, always going on about doing the smart thing, but when push comes to shove, I just rush in and expect everyone to follow." She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Damn, I'm a crappy girlfriend."

Mami felt dumfounded. Oh, _that's _what she felt so bad about. Well, of course she would. Not that Mami resented her for that, but the encounter with Jezebel was of significantly greater importance than what Mami had been thinking about.

She tried to think of how to respond without sounding like a complete idiot, but before she could get her thought into order the door opened and Dr. Young walked in, carrying a tray.

"Breakfast!" she announced. "Fortunately some of them marshals chipped in to help, otherwise I would never get all you would-be vigilantes fed." She set the tray down on Mami's lap. "We've got blueberry pancakes, hash-browns, sausage, and orange juice. Rest easy, there is not a drop of dairy to be fond."

Charlotte sank back into her pillows and muttered something angry-sounding.

Mami wanted to ask that breakfast be postponed until she had settled things with her upset girlfriend, but then her stomach stood up and protested that course of action. After a short consideration, Mami conceded its point and snatched up her fork and dug in.

"And there she goes," Dr. Young dispassionately announced as Mami made food disappear at a furious rate. "See, this is why I don't like using magic all that much. Too much, and the need to feed just takes over." She shrugged and moved toward the door. "Anyways, time for you two to get yelled at."

Mami paused in her feasting. "What?"

A young woman wearing the brown uniform of a marshal entered. She had grey eyes and silver hair, which was done up in four pigtails that curved up around her head like the arms of a chandelier. A tiny shining star topped each pigtail. Insofar as witch remnants were concerned, Monica Linemann's was certainly striking.

Nodding to Dr. Young as they passed each other, Monica walked into and sat down in a chair.

"Well," she said. "Good morning, girls. How are you feeling?"

"Uh, okay," Mami said, squirming a bit. "A little frazzled, but okay."

Monica nodded. "There is a lot of that going around today. We've been trying to get in contact with your employers, but the hotel they're staying at has been having trouble transferring our calls."

"Yeah, that's not going to work," Charlotte told her. "Shizuku's like psychic or something. If you want to tell her something she doesn't want to hear, it's like she vanished into thin air. And if you're doing something that you really don't want her to know about, she _will _show up. Abruptly. Sometimes like she teleported or something."

"Don't I know it," Monica said wearily. "Well, in the meantime, you two are here at least, so we might as well get this talk out of the way."

Mami and Charlotte exchanged an uncomfortable look. Mami started to ask a question, but Charlotte, being Charlotte, beat her to the punch. "So, on a scale of wagging your finger and going 'Naughty, naughty' to keelhauling, how much trouble are we in?"

Mami winced. Trust in Charlotte to get right to the point in the most cringe-worthy way possible.

Fortunately, Monica didn't seem upset. "Trouble? No, you're not in trouble. Technically."

The girls stared. "Technically?" Mami ventured.

"I mean there's going to be no arrests or fines or issues with your permanent record or anything." Monica sighed. "But I do need to make clear that what you did was, while no doubt well-intentioned, very…foolish."

"We just wanted to help," Mami said in a small voice.

"I know, and you deserve credit for that. But when I asked you two to go to the _Aurora Borealis, _I did tell you it was for the purpose of helping with the evacuation. I wanted everyone to get _away_ from Jezebel's labyrinth, not go charging right in!"

Charlotte grimaced. "Uh, I think the only way to keep Nina from going in would've been to sit on her. Besides, she was the only one who knew how to get through those doors."

"Then she could have helped the marshals when they arrived," Monica responded. "But having everyone else go in was…unwise. I understand they just wanted to help their friend, and you wanted to help them, but Ashley was traumatized by what happened, and many of the others have reported having nightmares and feelings of unease." She shook her head. "Mami. Charlotte. I know you haven't been with us long, but I have. I've seen firsthand what going back into a full witch's labyrinth can do to people, especially when it's of someone they knew. The marshals have special training for these situations. We're professionals. I know it goes against your better instincts, but _please _remember that the rules are there for a reason. It isn't because we're heartless, but because when something horrible like this happens, we want to minimize the damage as much as possible."

"Understood," Mami said. She inclined her head submissively. "Please forgive us our rashness."

Charlotte, however, looked troubled. "Look, I get what you're saying," she said. "But can I ask a kind of uncomfortable question?"

Monica stopped smiling. "You're going to ask what I would do if it were my wife in Jezebel's place."

"Kind of," Charlotte admitted.

Aghast, Mami's head whipped toward her. "Charlotte!"

"Well, I…it's kind of…look, I just want to know!"

"You're not the first one," Monica said, her mouth in a straight line. "In fact, you would come in at number five for today alone."

Once again, Charlotte winced. "Sorry."

"Don't be. And in answer…you do realize that Corrie isn't a witch, right?"

"Well, I was speaking hypothetically," Charlotte said, awkwardly scratching the back of her head.

"And you do remember that I said that Nina's help would have been not only allowed, but appreciated, yes? We do take such things into consideration. But we also want to prevent everyone from charging in blindly. Not every solution must be one extreme or another, you know."

Charlotte, whose face now matched her hair, took a deep breath. "Yeah, okay, just forget I said anything, all right?"

Monica smiled then: a small one, but was there. "Don't worry about it. But jumping off of that, Dr. Young said that you two should be ready to go home today. But before you do, I really suggest that you take the time to talk to someone, one of the therapists. I understand you two used to meet with Dr. Cynthia fairly regularly during your first year here?"

Mami nodded.

"Then _please _make sure you go see her before heading home. This is not something you want to just brush off. Believe me when I say that even if you seem like you'll be all right for now, this is the sort of thing that can come back to haunt you."

"Okay," Mami said. "We will."

Monica nodded. "I appreciate it." She took a deep breath and stood up. "Well, we all have things to do. You two take care of yourselves now."

After she left, Dr. Young returned to retrieve Mami's tray. "Welp, now that your knuckles are thoroughly rapped," she said, "you want I should give Cynthia a call, tell her you're coming?"

"No, we'll do it," Mami said. "And, uh, I don't mean to impose, but I apparently did a lot of sweating last night. You wouldn't happen to have a shower, would you?"

"Yeah, sure thing." Dr. Young nodded toward the door. "Just down the hall, second door on your left. I'll make sure your clothes get cleaned in the meantime."

Charlotte piped up. "Can I-"

"When she's done and ready to leave," Dr. Young said firmly. "And not a minute earlier."

Charlotte folded her arms and sulked.

"Don't worry, I won't be long," Mami said after Dr. Young had left. She stole a glance under the sheets. Fortunately, while there was a bit of a wet spot on the crotch of her jeans, it wasn't really noticeable. She just had to move quickly.

"I'll be right back," she told Charlotte. "Don't worry."

"Sure, sure," Charlotte grumbled.

…

_Then…_

Mami drew her arm back and thrust it forward with all of her considerable strength. The line of her fishing pole shot out over the water, the reel whirring as it released the string. After she felt that she had enough length, Mami grabbed the handle, reeled in the line a bit, and sat down on the edge of the Nautilus Platform's dock, her bare legs dangling in the water.

Earlier that week they had received a tip concerning a school of salmon that were supposed to pass right past the platform today, and as Mami had a recipe for crumbed salmon fillet that she sorely missed, she was not about to let the opportunity to acquire fresh ingredients just swim by. Besides, what was the point of living on an ocean platform if you didn't spend an afternoon or two fishing?

As she settled back to wait, the elevator suddenly clanged and rose to the upper levels. Mami's eyebrows rose. Hmmm, that was odd. They had already harvested their quota for the day, and nobody was due to take the boats out again. Maybe one of the other girls wanted to join her?

The came back down and Charlotte stepped off. "Hey there," she said, her hands in the pockets of her legless overalls. "Any luck?"

"No, but I just started, so it's to be expected." Mami tilted her head toward the larger of the two boats. "Care to join me? There's another pole."

Charlotte shrugged. "Sure, why not? Shizuku's got that 'There's Something Gross and Difficult Needs to Be Done, and it's Not Going to Be Me that Does It' look again, so I figured I'd better come down and keep you company. Might as well make myself useful while I'm down here."

Mami laughed. "An excellent reason, to be sure."

They got out the other pole, and soon the line was baited and sent out to join Mami's. The two girls sat together, waiting for some unwary fish to come by and be enticed by their bait.

In time, Mami noticed that Charlotte was being unusually quiet. Granted, fishing wasn't a sport that required much discussion, but normally Charlotte would have something to say: a quip, a complaint, a playful barb, a serious observation, or even a remark about the weather. But today, despite claiming to have come down to keep Mami company, she seemed reluctant to do just that. And it wasn't a case of simply being content to sit there and enjoy the peace. As Mami eyed her friend out of the corner of her eye, it became obvious that there was _something _on her mind. Her gaze was stalwartly fixated on the water and her lips were pressed tightly together. Furthermore, her hands were gripping the pole so tightly that they had developed a noticeable tremble.

Mami grew worried. Roughly around a year and a half had passed since they had arrived, and the first few months had not been easy. In fact, despite their good fortune at being taken in by such accommodating hosts, despite Freehaven being as welcoming and supportive of a community as they could ask for, and despite having regular sessions with counselors who specialized in cases like theirs, it had been a rather horrible trial, at least from a mental and emotional standpoint. Mami continued to have problems with nightmares. It got the point where, more often than not, she would wake up screaming with fear or sobbing piteously. Fortunately, Charlotte was more than willing to comfort her when that happened. Sometimes Mami would awaken in tears to find that her roommate was already there, not saying anything, just holding her and letting her cry. After the first, Charlotte had said that Mami had been whimpering in her sleep almost every night.

The days had been a little better, though they were still hard. Though she could distract herself with her work in the kelp fields and had the help from her new friends, she still found herself frequently falling into depression. Sometimes the black weight would be so great that she couldn't even find the drive to get out of bed, and she reacted very badly whenever one of the others tried to console her. Other times her mood swung up to the opposite extreme and she would find herself in the grips of manic rage. Those hadn't happened as often, but there had been two cases in which she had to be physically restrained and prevented from moving until the fit passed. She did have medication to help keep her emotions in line, and they did help, but she disliked taking them, as they made her feel artificial. Besides, even when she did, the effect they had was still somewhat limited.

Thanks to her past being scrubbed away, Charlotte had an easier time adjusting, but even she had her problems. She had been uneasy, on edge, and would lash out at the strangest things. Eventually she had confessed that she constantly felt a gnawing sense of incompleteness, like there was something she needed to be doing or someone she urgently needed to see, and being unable to remember who or what it was had been making her constantly frustrated. Sometimes she would wake up disoriented, like she had been expecting to be in a different room. And she had bad dreams of her own, though hers were never remembered, save that they left her with an overwhelming sense of loss.

At least, most of them did. There was one nightmare that she always remembered; Mami had found that out the hard way. One night, she had woken from a rare dreamless sleep to see Charlotte moaning and twitching in her sleep. As Mami had been deeply grateful for all the times Charlotte had helped her through her own nightmares, she decided to return the favor and help soothe the nightmares away.

Unfortunately, Charlotte had partially woken at her touch, taken one look at her, and started screaming like a woman possessed. That in turn woke the whole house up, and Shizuku and Natsuru had burst into the room to find a still-screaming Charlotte cowering in the corner and a distraught Mami completely at a loss.

The next day, after everyone had calmed down, Charlotte had been very evasive about what she had been dreaming about, but Shizuku was relentless. Eventually, Charlotte had confessed that her nightmare had been about her fleeing naked through the skeletal hallways of Dead Drop City, pursued by an unrelenting foe, one that had no face but did possess an endless supply of muskets.

Mami's depression had been especially severe that day.

Fortunately for the two of them, their problems were very common among the newly arrived, and having everyone knowing _exactly _what they were going through allowed them to get all the help they needed. These days, the worst had passed, and they were settling in nicely. True, they still had bad dreams, but they were not nearly as frequent, and Mami's mood swings were progressively becoming less and less severe.

But there was another problem, one that Mami had become increasingly more aware of as of late. And that was that Charlotte made her feel…strange. It wasn't fear or revulsion, but there was some kind of discomfort there. It wasn't that she disliked spending time with her; quite the contrary, Mami enjoyed Charlotte's company very much. But for some reason, it still bothered her in a way she couldn't pin down.

Which was why Charlotte's surliness made Mami feel concerned. If something was eating at her friend, it could be representative of larger problems.

Finally the tension became too great, and Mami broken the silence with, "Charlotte, is there-"

At the same time, Charlotte said, "Look, can we-"

They broke off and Mami's face turned red. "Oh, sorry," she said.

"No, it's fine. You go first."

Mami coughed into her fist. "Actually, I was about to ask what was troubling you."

In answer, Charlotte heaved out a long sigh. "That obvious, is it?" she chuckled as she pushed back her bangs with her fingers. She shook her head. "Well, guess I'm not getting out of this one."

Now Mami knew her concern was justified. Laying a hand on the other girl's knee, she said, "Charlotte, if something is wrong, then please let me help you. You know that there is nothing you can't tell me."

Charlotte gave her a sidelong look.

Wincing, Mami amended, "Well, all right, it's true I didn't react well to that dream. But even so, we've moved past that. And if something is bothering you, I want to help."

"I know you do, and that just makes it harder," Charlotte muttered.

Now Mami was starting to feel bewildered. "I don't understand."

"I know, I'm not making much sense. See, that thing is…" Charlotte took a deep breath. "Look, we're…friends, right?"

While she knew that Charlotte hadn't meant it the way it had sounded, Mami was still hurt by the question. "Charlotte, of course we are! How could you even doubt that?"

Charlotte grimaced. "Sorry, that came out wrong. I didn't mean…Okay, let me start over. My thoughts are bouncing around my brain like a bunch of Ping-Pong balls, and I need to get them in order before they start coming out of my mouth."

Mami blinked, but she nodded. She waited patiently while Charlotte squeezed her eyes shut tight and mumbled under her breath.

"Okay, here goes," Charlotte said at last, though her eyes were still closed. "I'm about to say a bunch of stuff that…sounds weird, but it is going somewhere, so please hear me out before you-"

She stopped in midsentence, blinked her eyes, and sighed. "Okay, you know what? Screw it." Charlotte turned her head so that she was looking Mami in the eyes. "Mami, I think I've fallen in love with you, and I want to be your girlfriend."

"Eee!" Mami said. That was it: just a small squeak without inflection or even much volume. She had lost the ability to articulate her thoughts beyond that. Not that she had much in the way of thoughts worth articulating at that point. In fact, her entire being had frozen up, both mentally and physically. She sat with her hand still on Charlotte's knee, her face frozen with a comforting smile and her breath completely stopped.

Charlotte let out a laugh of disbelief. "Well, that was probably the worst confession of love of all time. Holy wow, and I practiced this and everything."

"Eee," Mami said again, her expression not changing in the slightest.

Charlotte looked away. "I don't blame you for…for reacting that way. Hell, I'm about three steps away from having a mental breakdown myself. But still. I needed to…well, you see…"

"Eee?"

"I mean, sure the way we met sucked beyond the telling of it, but these last few months, I'd say we got to be really close, right? Like, best friends, right?"

Mami managed a twitch that wasn't quite a nod but was close enough. "Eee."

"Right. But see, lately I've, uh…" Now Charlotte's face was beet-red. She swallowed loudly. "E-every time I'm with you, I just feel…happy. Like, even with my memory problems, even with the nightmares, and all those questions about my past that are probably never getting answered, it's like all those things aren't so bad, so long as you're there. You're like my bastion of sanity, you know what I'm saying?"

Mami did indeed. She felt much the same way about Charlotte, after all. "Eee."

"But these last few weeks…" Charlotte buried her face in her hand. "Oh God, I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I've been having. These dreams. Not nightmares. Dreams. Where you and I are just…being together. Nothing big or anything, we'd just be…I don't know, walking together through Freehaven, or husking mermaid eggs, or making dinner, or just sitting on the couch and talking, that sort of thing. Normal stuff, you know?"

Finally enough of Mami's motor functions returned that she was about to vocalize something other than tiny squeaks, though not by much. "I…uh."

"Right. A-and I was…relieved. Like, that meant I was getting better, that all those fragments from my old life that kept bothering me were going away and getting replaced by my life here. I was adjusting, right?" Charlotte let out a noise that was probably intended to be some kind of nervous laugh, but it sounded more like a hiccup. "But then I had this one dream were you and I were walking on the beach. Not the one in front of Freehaven, that rocky one down the coast that's so hard to get to. And…" She closed her eyes. "And you kissed me."

This time Mami had no reply, coherent or otherwise.

"Yeah, I was kind of weirded out after that. But I figured it was just a dream, you know? But then…I started noticing, I mean _really _noticing…" Charlotte sighed. "God Mami, do you have any idea how gorgeous you are?"

Mami's mouth fell open.

"I mean, look at you! It's like, you're just wearing shorts and a t-shirt, but you look like you could model them! Just being around you makes my stomach flutter, but in a good way."

It was then that Mami realized that she was still touching Charlotte's leg. She withdrew it quickly.

A second later she regretted it, as Charlotte immediately looked stricken. Mami wondered if she should put her hand back, or if doing so would be a greater insult. She wondered if she should say something, apologize for her reaction, thank Charlotte for the compliment, or anything really. Then she wondered why she hadn't broken down completely, because this whole conversation was making her _freak the hell out!_

She started to speak. "Charlotte, I'm…I, uh…"

"No," Charlotte cut her off. "It's okay, you don't have to apologize." She smiled, though it looked a little forced. And her voice now had a quaver that broke Mami's heart. "I get it. I mean, I understand. See, I'm not…I don't want to press. I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to do. You're not like me, I know. You had another life, one that you still remember, with all of its…you know, traditions, morals, upbringing, that sort of thing. And I…I respect that." She swallowed. "Plus, you were kind of, uh, straight, and still probably are. So, this is probably even more awkward for you than me. Sorry."

"Char…"

Charlotte looked away again. "Look. Mami. If nothing ever happens between us, then that's…that's fine. If you want to stay the way you were, then that's fine. I'll be happy just being your friend, and I don't ever want to threaten that. But…well, if you are ever interested…I'm here. I'm here, and…Well, I just th-thought you should know."

She fell silent. Mami wished she had something to fill that silence, but there was nothing that came to mind that she knew she wouldn't instantly regret. And as she was still so freaked out that she had yet to remember how to move, she thought it best to just say nothing.

Unfortunately, that just meant that there was no place for either of them to go. Charlotte had said her piece, and clearly had no intention of saying anything more. And as Mami's body and mind were now completely locked up, that meant a long, uncomfortable period in which they just sat still with their fishing lures bobbing in the water, neither of them speaking, neither of them moving.

Then, after what felt a full day and a night went by (though it was in truth only seven minutes), Charlotte frowned and said, "Ah, Mami? I think you've got a bite."

She did indeed. Her bob had disappeared, and her line was now bending and jerking. However, Mami didn't react. In fact, she had barely heard Charlotte at all.

Charlotte cleared her throat. "So…you going to reel that in, or just going to let it…Ah, your pole. It's starting to slip out of your hands."

Mami blinked at her. "Huh?"

"Your _pole, _Mami. You're about to-Jeez!" Charlotte tossed her own fishless pole aside and grabbed at Mami's. It was only then that Mami saw that Charlotte was right: her pole was in immediate danger of being dragged out of her slack fingers and into the ocean.

"Oh!" she said in surprise. She tried to grab at it, but the sudden motion caused her to fumble and drop it completely. Fortunately, Charlotte managed to seize it before it disappeared beneath the water and rein it in.

Working together, the two girls reeled in the thrashing salmon. It was a beauty all right, strong and healthy and over six pounds. That was a rather ridiculous size for that kind of fish, and Mami strongly suggested that its ancestors had been cross-breeding with some of the alien species of fish that swam the waters, a supposition that was confirmed when they noticed that it had glimmering silver scales and yellow lights on the end of its whiskers.

"Looks like it's got a bit of Horstco Vike blood," Charlotte observed as she free the hook from its gasping mouth. She shrugged and dropped it in the plastic barrel of water Mami had brought along. "Ah well, I heard their hybrids taste pretty good."

"I had some before," Mami said.

"Oh yeah?"

Mami nodded. "Do you remember when Shizuku and Natsuru took us to Cloudbreak? The hotel's café had a fillet o' fish sandwich. They used Vike meat. It was real good. Kind of salty, but still good."

"Oh. Well, good to hear."

The two of them watched their future dinner swim around in the barrel for a few seconds, and then Charlotte said, "So…Do you-"

"I'll be right back," Mami said suddenly. Then before Charlotte could respond, she bolted back to the house.

Mami didn't even bother with the elevator. Instead, she leapt and swung her way up, using the platform's girders and her ribbons. She flipped over the railing, landed on the steel-mesh catwalk, fell back with her back against the house, and started to hyperventilate.

Oh God, Charlotte loved her. No, Charlotte was _in love _with her. How had Mami not noticed before? It was true, they spent a great deal of time together, even when they weren't at the platform. And it was true, they did hold hands a lot, take advantage for every opportunity for a hug or a cuddle, and often wound up sharing the same bed, even though their room had two, each one intended for only one person. And okay, so they did flirt playfully at times…okay, so all the time. But they were best friends! That's just what best friends did! Well, maybe not all best friends, but given that they lived in a monosex world where such behavior was the norm, was it really so strange that they would act in such an affectionate manner without actually…

Mami realized that the more she thought about it, the more stupid she felt for not seeing it before.

But even so, what was she supposed to do now? Charlotte wanted to be her girlfriend! And there was no way Mami could…

_Why not?_

Mami's eyes twitched at the thought. Well, because she didn't like girls! Not like that, anyway. It was true, she had gotten over her aversion to other girls having romantic relationships with each other, but just because something might work for some of her friends…okay, most of them. But that didn't mean she was going to…

_Why not? _the voice inside her said again.

_Because it's not me! _she wailed back. _I'm not…I'm not a…_

_Lesbian?_

_Yes! _

_Oh? _In Mami's mind, the voice representing the opposition had definitely taken on an air of smugness. _Think of all the couples you know, married or otherwise. Do you honestly think they were all lesbians upon entering the afterlife?_

It was true, Mami knew a great many girls who were in romantic relationships with one another, and most of them through allowing their orientation to shift. But even so…

_That's them! _she insisted. _I can't be with Charlotte, not like that!_

_Why not? _her mind said for the third time. _You love her, don't you?_

_Of course I do! _There was no question that she cared deeply for the pink-haired witch. In fact, there was no one, in this life or the previous one, that she had been closer to. But that didn't mean she had romantic feelings for her.

Right?

However, now that Mami thought about it, she had been enjoying Charlotte's company more and more as time went on. And it wasn't simply because Charlotte was fun to be around; just being with her made Mami feel at peace. She loved her playful smile, her dry wit, and her forward nature. And while Mami was glad that the nightmares were receding, she did prefer waking up to find Charlotte snuggled up against her than being alone in the bed.

Maybe that's why she had been feeling so confused as of late? Perhaps she had started to develop an attraction for her roommate, one that she was only now consciously realizing. But that was normal, wasn't it? Mami had heard that young girls often formed pseudo-romantic relationships with their close friends, ones that they would eventually outgrow when they found the right boy. S-type relationships, she thought they were called. So it was all right for her to have one with Charlotte, wasn't it?

Except Charlotte was fully in love with her, and not just in a playacting sense. And there were no boys to move on to anyway. Not that Mami would be overly eager to move on to one even if there were, as it would likely come between her and-

Mami's hand went to her mouth when she realized the implications of what she had just been thinking. S-type relationships were one thing, but she was starting to get the feeling that her attraction for Charlotte went a bit beyond that.

_And why shouldn't it? _her heart whispered. _It's not like she's ugly or anything, is it?_

Well, of course it wasn't. Quite the contrary, Charlotte was a _very _pretty girl. Despite being tall for her age, she was still cute in a petite sort of way, with the lean, willowy figure and graceful limbs of a gymnast. Plus, there was the way her aquamarine eyes twinkled when she laughed, her cute little button nose, and those soft lips of hers that seemed perpetually tugging up in a half-smile. Even her tail, which used to give Mami the shivers, had a certain quirky charm to it. And that wasn't even getting to her nicely rounded-

Heat blossomed up within her, and Mami's face, already red with embarrassment, now burned all the more. She let out a small whimper. Okay, that had not been simple admiration for Charlotte's attractiveness. That had been outright lust.

Clearly this was a situation that she had to deal with here, right now, before things spiraled further out of control. She was now realizing things about herself that frankly terrified her, and desperately needed someone to talk to. Unfortunately, the person she would normally go to whenever she had a problem so happened to be the current problem's root cause. So that left…

Mami ran for the front door and tore it open. Inside, Shizuku and Natsuru were standing in the kitchen, having one of their arguments.

"I just don't see why we can't hire a professional to take care of it," Natsuru was saying. "I barely know enough about plumbing to unclog a sink."

"Because, honey, professionals cost money," Shizuku replied. "And it will take them time to get all the way over here."

"We can afford it!"

"We can," Shizuku nodded. "However, using you is free, and you're here now. Besides, how hard can it be? It's just a massively corroded-"

Mami, who was not in the mood to wait for them to finish debating proper maintenance, rushed over to them and babbled, "Guys! Thing…happened! Need to talk. To you. Now!"

Natsuru looked completely taken back by Mami's abrupt and breathless appearance, but Shizuku barely even glanced at her. "Yes, of course," she said. "By all means, go ahead. Though do try to keep it brief, as we are-"

"Charlotte just confessed to me!" Mami blurted out.

Natsuru was a sweet girl, but she had always been a little slow on the uptake. True to form, Mami's bombshell just made her stare blankly without comprehension. As for Shizuku, she wasn't ruffled in the slightest. "Oh, did she?" the dark-haired girl said. "Well now, I wasn't aware that you had joined the clergy. I hope her sins were nothing serious, or do your vows prevent you from disclosing details?"

Mami felt like tearing at her own hair, a common enough reaction to dealing with Shizuku's brand of "humor." "No! I mean a love confession! Charlotte's in love with me!"

The others' reaction was not what she had been expecting. It almost was, with Shizuku's lips curling up in one of her knowing smiles. But her moment of playful mockery was derailed. By _Natsuru _of all people.

"Wait, she actually went through with it?" Natsuru said as she excitedly grabbed Mami by the hands.

Shizuku's smirk froze, partially finished. It twisted in on itself, and her brow rose and fell several times in succession. In any other situation, watching her face go to war with itself would have been pretty funny; today it was just distracting. Finally, she spoke. "Natsuru," she said, speaking with slow precision. "Honey. Are you claiming to have already been aware of Charlotte's feelings for Mami here?"

Natsuru didn't seem fazed by the question. "Well, yeah," she said. "She told me a couple weeks ago."

"Huh?" Mami was dumbstruck already, but this was striking her dumb on a whole new level. "She…what?"

"She came to you?" Shizuku sounded hurt. "Okay, but why didn't she tell me too?"

Natsuru scratched the back of her head in agitation. "Well…no offense…but she was really stressed out, and you can be kind of mean sometimes."

Shizuku's face went cold, and for a moment Mami was terrified that Natsuru had angered her girlfriend. Shizuku did not anger easily, but when she did, the results tended to be…memorable.

Fortunately, Shizuku just sighed and said, "Well, I suppose you're right about that." She nodded toward the sitting area. "All right, everyone have a seat. We have discussing to do."

Everyone agreed. Mami took the couch, Shizuku one of the recliners, and Natsuru the other. Mami sat with her body hunched over her legs, hands clasped over her knees, and eyes firmly fixated on the coffee table.

"Well then," Shizuku said once everyone was situated. "Natsuru, when Charlotte came to you, what exactly did she say?"

Now that she was being put on the spot, Natsuru looked like she was starting to regret her outburst. "Well, uh, pretty much what you'd expect," she said, nervously running her fingers through her messy blue hair. "She said that she was pretty sure that she had some…Oh bother." She rolled her wrist around in a "You know what I mean!" gesture. "Had, had feelings for Mami. Strong ones. That she, uh, really wanted to get with her, but didn't know how to go about it."

Mami stared at her. Natsuru was one of her dearest friends, it was true. The girl had a kind, gentle nature about her, and was quite easy to get along with. That didn't change the fact that she could be a real clueless ditz at the best of times, and was not the first person Mami would go to for relationship advice.

Then again, when the alternative was Shizuku…

As for Shizuku herself, she simply nodded, as if she had already anticipated Natsuru's answer. "And what did you tell her?"

Natsuru grimaced. "Well, I told her that she, you know, should be honest with Mami here and tell her. That it would be better for both of them."

"Oh, Natsuru," Shizuku sighed. She squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"What?" Natsuru said, looking confused. "What's wrong with that? I just think that they'd make a great couple, is all!" She turned to Mami. "In fact, I'm sort of surprised that you two aren't one already. You're always hugging and giggling and sharing the same bed and-"

"Natsuru!" Shizuku interrupted, fortunately before Mami's cheeks could get any redder. "That's enough!"

"What?" Natsuru said, surprised at how serious Shizuku had become. "I was just trying to help."

"I'm sure you were, sweetie," Shizuku said. She leaned back and crossed her legs. "But as well-intentioned as you might have been, you failed to take into account certain…obstacles standing in the way of such a relationship."

Natsuru stared blankly at her. "Huh?"

"Well, I'm saying that Mami here was without certain…advantages that you possessed that allowed you to easily enter into a same-sex relationship. She is not as you were."

Mami briefly wondered what Shizuku was talking about, but decided that she just meant that Natsuru had already been a lesbian before she died. "I almost wish that I was," she said despondently. "It would make things _so _much easier."

Shizuku burst out laughing. She backpedaled and tried regain control, but that just made her snort loudly. Natsuru seemed all the more confused by her outburst. Then her eyes went wide, her mouth formed the word, "Oh!", and her face turned as red as Mami's.

Now Mami was completely beside herself. "What?" she said. "What did I say?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing," Shizuku snickered. She waved off Mami's question. "Private joke. But getting back to the subject at hand, I'm afraid that, in regards to the possibility of Mami actually entering into some sort of romantic engagement with Charlotte, there is a significant hurdle that would be needed to be overcome first. Specifically, their compatibility issues."

Natsuru thought for a moment, and then shook her head. "Sorry, I still don't get it. Why would Charlotte being a witch matter?"

Shizuku's eyelids fluttered, and she looked as if she were fighting off a headache. "Natsuru, no. I mean Mami's straight."

"Straight?"

"Oh God." Shizuku massaged her forehead. "I mean she is heterosexual. She likes the penis. Charlotte is without a penis. Do I need to get out the holoboard and draw you a diagram? A flowchart, perhaps? One with illustrations?"

Natsuru got it then. "Wait, you mean she's still-" Her face went pale. "Oh God, Mami! I didn't even think of that! I'm so sorry, I thought for sure that you had, you know, switched over. I mean everyone else has!"

"Claretta hasn't," Shizuku said, referring to one of the town's grocers.

"She _hasn't?" _Natsuru goggled. "I thought she was just a bachelor!"

"Well, technically she _is, _but…" Shizuku shook her head. "Never mind, we're getting sidetracked again. My point is, as fond as Mami might be of Charlotte, they are of incompatible orientations. Therefore, trying to force such a relationship before its time is-"

Mami's head jerked up. "Wait, before its time?"

"Well, of course," Shizuku said with a prim look. "All obstacles aside, I do agree with Natsuru in that you and Charlotte would make an _adorable _couple, which is why I've been encouraging you two to spend as much time alone as possible."

"You mean _you also…_" Mami slumped forward and covered her face with her hands. She felt like laughing. She felt like crying. This was too much.

There was a long moment when neither of Mami's hosts said nothing. They simply awkwardly watched the emotional wreck they had reduced their friend to. Then Shizuku sighed, walked over to sit next to Mami, and laid a hand on her back.

"Mami," she said in a soft voice. "It occurs to me that we may have wronged you. Forgive us. We meant no harm, but as I ironically just pointed out, good intentions are often the harbingers to damaging results. It was wrong of us to move you into a romance to someone you had no actual attraction toward-"

"But that's just it!" Mami wailed, the suddenness of which made Shizuku jump. "I don't know!"

"You don't know what?" Shizuku asked with a quizzical tilt to her head. "Whether or not you're attracted to Charlotte?"

Feeling absolutely miserable with the many directions her emotions were being pulled, Mami nodded.

"Ah, I see," Shizuku murmured. She leaned back and steepled her fingers in front of her mouth. "So, I was right the first time, and Charlotte just made her move too early." Her eyes twinkled. "Fortunately, that conundrum is easy enough to solve."

Mami blinked back tears and lifted her head to stare at her. "Excuse me?"

"Tell me something, Mami: back before your expiration, did you have a boyfriend?"

"A…a boyfriend?"

"You know, if you keep responding to my questions with more questions, we are never going to get anywhere, and poor Charlotte will be left waiting on the docks until dawn. Yes. A boyfriend. Did you have one?"

"I…no! I mean, I'm only…_was. _I was only fifteen!"

"That's no excuse," Shizuku said haughtily. "I had my first boyfriend when I was twelve."

Natsuru, who had been embarrassed into silence until now, jerked up at that piece of news. "Wait, you what? Why I am just hearing about this now?"

Shizuku gave her a look. "Natsuru, you're really not going to make an issue about this, are you? I was _twelve. _I hadn't even met you yet. And it lasted a grand total of three days and consisted primarily of having my books carried and the lion's share of his lunch money."

"Yeah, but…" Natsuru looked down and sheepishly toed the ground. "It just seems like something I should have known about, is all."

"You know, if you are going to insist on turning this conversation toward past romantic escapades, there are a few of your own that would make for much livelier discussion material. For example, I seem to recall a certain incident involving you, a locker, and Akane Mishima."

Before Natsuru's face had turned white. Now it flushed to the other end of the spectrum. She quickly turned away while muttering, "Shutting up now."

"Thank you," Shizuku said icily. Returning her attention to the now confused Mami, she said, "All right then, even if you were never in an official relationship, there was at least someone you had a crush on, yes? A friend, a friend's older brother, some androgynous pop singer, anyone?"

While Mami was in no mood to revisit that time of her former life, she still nodded and said, "Well, there was someone I knew…"

Shizuku's eyes shone. She leaned in closer. "Go on."

Well, this day was already at the far end of the humiliation spectrum as it was. "Ryu Hagane," she said after a moment of thought. Saying his name out loud after not so much of thinking of him for years was a strange experience.

"And he was?" Shizuku seemed delighted by this new tidbit of information, like a tabloid reporter getting her hands on an especially juicy bit of celebrity gossip.

Mami flinched. This line of thought was tearing away a lot of scabbed over memories. "M-my f-f-father's…boss's…son. He was a c-couple years older than me, but we had d-dinner at his family's home several times." She fidgeted, rubbing her legs together. "I…always admired him. He was always such a gentleman. Kind, polite, always treated me well. Very smart too. He was on the debate team. And from a good family too." She swallowed. "I always thought that, when I got older, we would…you know…"

"But he turned out to be a real bastard, right?" Natsuru pressed.

Mami's head snapped up. "What? No! He never…He was always…"

"Then what happened to him?" Natsuru asked, sounding confused.

It was a good long time before Mami could bring herself to answer. "The accident." Her voice came out as a dry, cracked croak.

"Accident?" Natsuru said, now even more bewildered. "What accident?"

Shizuku sighed. It was clear that her patience was running thin. "Which accident do you think, _dear_?"

Natsuru considered the question, and then flinched. This was not her day for keeping her mouth free of foot. "You know what? I'm just going to stay quiet for the rest of this."

"An excellent idea," Shizuku said, her voice almost a hiss. "One of the best you've had."

"Um, can we not fight please?" Mami asked as she squirmed in her seat. "This is hard enough."

"Right," Natsuru said, averting her gaze. "Sorry."

"Likewise," Shizuku said after a moment. "And for making you go through this. My apologies, Mami. I hadn't realized that the two memories might be connected."

Mami inhaled deeply, swelling her chest and holding the breath in before slowly letting it out. "It's…okay," she said when she felt she was ready. "You couldn't have known." She ran her shaking fingers through her air and tried to steady herself. "A-anyway, afterward, he…he tried to help me anyway he could. He even offered to let me move in with his family and…" Swallowing, Mami gave a small, almost imperceptible shake of her head. "I almost said yes, but I, ah, just couldn't."

"Because of the contract," Shizuku guessed. "Because of your new so-called duties as a Puella Magi."

Mami couldn't look at her, but she managed a nod. "Exactly. And afterward, it just kept me so busy that all my friends drifted away, including him. And, ah, and that's it, I guess."

"I see," Shizuku murmured. "Well, that story took a few turns that I was not expecting, but even so…" She sighed, and said, "Now Mami, as painful as some of memories associated with this boy might be, there is still a thought experiment that I'd like you to do."

"What?"

"I want you to strip away the unpleasant second half of your relationship with him, as difficult as it might be, and try to return yourself to the state of mind you had when you first knew him."

"Fir…first knew him? You mean, try to r-r-revive my crush?"

Shizuku nodded. "If you'd be so kind, yes."

On the bright side, the utter bewilderment Mami was experiencing went a long way to push away the pain of having to relive her parents' death. Still, she complied the best she could.

It wasn't easy though. The feelings of admiration she had held for Ryu weren't difficult to recall, but it was hard to progress fully to her old schoolgirl infatuation for him, primarily because she was having a devil of a time remembering what he looked like. Oh sure, she had the basic idea in her head, but it had been so long since she had thought of him, much less seen him, that recalling specific details was proving a challenge. In fact, it had been so long since she had seen a man, period, that her imagination kept giving him distinctly un-masculine features, such as a feminine figure or putting him in a skirt.

_He had stubble, _she suddenly remembered. _Long shaggy hair and stubble. _He had always tried so hard to grow a full beard, but the results had been less than impressive. With that in mind, she was able to construct a mental image that she was sure was fairly close.

"Okay," she said at last. "I think…I think that's as close as I'm going to get."

Shizuku scrutinized her face, as if judging whether Mami had done as instructed or not. Evidently she was satisfied with what she saw, as she shrugged, nodded, and said, "Very good. Now take that little fantasy a step further. I want you to picture yourself actually _with _the young Mr. Hagane."

Mami let out a little squeak of surprise. "You…you mean married?"

Shizuku shrugged. "If you like. Married, engaged, domestic partnership, hidden mistress, it doesn't matter. Just try to picture yourself in a romantic relationship with the boy. Think of what it would be like to kiss him, to wake up with his arms around you." She paused for a bit before adding, "Clothing is, of course, optional."

"Shizuku!" Mami protested, mortified.

"What?" Shizuku said innocently. "It's a fantasy. Such things are not only allowed, they're expected."

"I can't do that! It's not right!"

Shizuku sighed dramatically. "Oh, very well, if you insist. I supposed Mr. Hagane would find it odd to be mentally undressed by a dead girl in another dimension. Just go as far as you feel comfortable with."

"I…I really don't feel comfortable with _any _part of this," Mami said. Just the thought of it made her squirm. "At all!"

"Still, I'd like you to try," Shizuku said, her voice sympathetic but insisting. "For Charlotte's sake, if not your own."

Natsuru could be a little thick, but she was right about one thing: Shizuku was kind of mean sometimes. Shooting off a brief glower in the raven-haired girl's direction, Mami took a deep breath and concentrated.

It was harder than she thought. Maybe it was because the feelings she was trying to evoke had been buried for so long that she had genuinely forgotten what it was like to want such things. Maybe it was because that, given the circumstances, she had unconsciously given up on the idea and her mind was rebelling against trying again. Maybe it was because she knew that, no matter what she wanted or what she decided, she would never be with Ryu, that he had been left behind for good. Whatever the reason, her mind seemed like it was physically resisting the image she was trying to conjure up.

Still, she tried. She tried to picture what it would be like to kiss him, to have his arms around her. She tried to think of what it would like to greet him with a warm hug when he came home every day. She tried to imagine holding their first born child in her arms while he stood next to her bed, his face beaming with pride.

In a way, she succeeded. There was a part of her that found what she was imagining to be very appealing, but, to her surprise, it was a very small part. The rest of her was just bothered by the idea, and was left feeling confused.

While she was doing this, Shizuku studied her face. In time, she nodded and said, "Hmmm, doesn't look like you're finding it all that attractive."

"A little," Mami admitted. "But it's just…strange. Weird."

"Weird how?" Natsuru asked, forgetting her promise to remain silent.

Mami shrugged. "I don't know. It just felt a little off."

"Not at all surprising," Shizuku murmured. "All right, time for step two."

"Step…two?" Mami quailed.

"Indeed. You didn't think was going to drag you down uncomfortable memory lane and just leave it at that?"

"Well…"

Shizuku playfully ruffled Mami's hair. "Rhetorical question, sweetiecakes. Now, I'd like you to repeat exactly what you just did…but with Charlotte in Ryu's place."

Well, Mami supposed she should have seen this coming, but that didn't make her any more at ease. "I…I don't know if I can."

Shizuku patted her shoulder. "Try, please. I think you'll find it easier than step one."

Mami truly doubted that, but she did as she was instructed. Fortunately, she didn't have any trouble visualizing Charlotte. And okay, so maybe it was also easier to picture herself being physically close to Charlotte than it was to Ryu; after all, they were like that with each other already. And as for the next part…

Mami's hand went to her mouth.

"Oh _my" _Shizuku purred. "Now _that _was quite the impressive blush. Ladies and gentle…ladies, I think we have our answer."

Mami didn't respond. Shizuku was right, after all. Her whole body was flush with heat.

"So I was right?" Natsuru said excitedly. "She's switched over after all?"

Shizuku sighed with annoyance. "Natsuru, it's not a switch. It's more of a slow transition from one point on a spectrum to the other. Mami's making the journey, yes, but her confusion shows that she hasn't quite reached her destination yet. Close, but not all the way."

Mami found her voice then. "S-so what should I do?"

"Do?" Shizuku shrugged. "Well, I'm afraid that is entirely up to you."

"Me?"

"Who else? I've done some reading on the subject, and as I understand it, it is possible to reverse the process and return to how you were originally. There are certain techniques I can recommend, if that's what you want."

Mami frowned. "All right, but…should I?"

Shizuku gave her a look. "Mami, once again, that's a decision only you can make. Being here affords choices that you would not be able to make back in your previous life, but now that you have those choices, I would _strongly _advise that you make your decision with care. Something like a sexual orientation can provide fantastic opportunities for humor, yes, but it really isn't something to be taken lightly."

Then, with one last affectionate squeeze to Mami's shoulder, Shizuku smiled and stood up. "For now, I suggest you go outside, carefully consider what you want to do, and when you're done, give poor Charlotte your answer. Because I'm fairly certain she'll exile herself to the docks until go get her yourself."

"Okay," Mami said weakly. She stood up as well. "It's just…I never thought I would have to seriously decide on whether to become a lesbian or not."

"Your school dances must have been _unbelievably _boring then." Shizuku gave her a gentle push toward the door. "Go. And remember: there is no wrong choice. Just the one you can live with."

"Good luck!" Natsuru said encouragingly.

"Luck," Mami said as she woodenly walked toward the door. "Yes, that's exactly what I need right now." She felt curiously lightheaded, like she was walking through a dream.

_And wouldn't it be just hilarious if it turned out that this was just a dream? _she thought. _I wouldn't have to go through this if it were. I could just wake up and- _She hung her head. _–deal with the great many issues with my sexuality this represents. Oh dear…_

Mami went outside, the salty air reviving her some. It was the late afternoon.

There was a weather-stained foldout chair set against the wall. Mami sat down in the chair. She stared out to sea. She thought.

When she finally stood up again, the sun had sunk halfway into the horizon, painting the ocean orange. Mami walked over to the cage and summoned the elevator. When it arrived, she got it and hit the button. The platform shuddered under feet and descended, the gears rumbling loudly.

The support girders seemed to pass by at half-speed. Mami clenched her fists tightly and readied herself for one of the scariest things she would ever have to do.

_Are you being serious? _her mind all but shouted at her. _You used to fight monsters of nightmarish quality, risking your life on a near-nightly basis, and _this _is the scariest thing you've ever had to do._

_That's different, _she thought back. _Fighting witches was dangerous, yes, and it could be very scary, but it was at least simple._

_No it was not!_

_Well, I thought it was at the time, and _you _are not helping in the slightest, so be silent!_

The elevator came to a stop. Mami took a deep breath through her nostrils and stepped out of the cage.

From the look of things, Charlotte's interest in fishing had ceased as soon as Mami had left. All of the gear and tackle had been put away. Even the bucket containing the one fish she had caught was gone.

Charlotte wasn't though. She was still sitting on the edge of the dock, her legs pulled up and her arms wrapped around her knees.

_Well, here goes. _Mami walked over to Charlotte and sat down next to her. "Hello," she said.

Charlotte's eyes were wet and blotchy. She sniffed and said, "Hi."

Mami wondered how to start the conversation. Realizing that she was never going to come up with anything that didn't sound incredibly stupid, she went with simple. "Charlotte, I-"

Before she could get beyond two words, Charlotte whispered, "I'm sorry."

Mami blinked. "What?"

"I'm sorry," Charlotte said, louder this time. Her voice was full of tears. "I shouldn't have dumped that all on you. I just feel so stupid now, thinking that, if I was forward with how I felt, that it would make you-"

"Charlotte, stop," Mami ordered. She laid a hand on the taller girl's shoulder. "Don't ever apologize for how you feel, and don't apologize for being honest about it. I'm glad you told me."

Charlotte let out a choked-sounding chuckle. "Yeah, sure."

"I'm serious. Thank you for telling me. It…" Mami hesitated, and plowed straight on. "It helped me, actually."

Charlotte frowned. She turned her head a few centimeters toward Mami, her moist eyes questioning.

"I…I had a talk," Mami said. "With Natsuru and Shizuku. Natsuru told me what she said you should do."

"Oh," Charlotte said. "Well, of course."

Mami nodded. "And then…Well, Shizuku helped me figure some things out."

"Things?" Charlotte blinked. "Wh-what sort of things?"

"Things about me," Mami answered. "About us. About…" Well, here it came. "About how I feel about you."

Charlotte's head jerked back. Her eyes popped wide open. "M-M-Mami? Are you…"

A slow smile crept up Mami's lips. "Well, I'm not exactly sure how I didn't notice it before, but these feelings you have for me…Well, let's just say they might be mutual."

"Ah," Charlotte said, her voice squeaking. She looked away from Mami, her mouth hanging open. "Ah. Ah. Okay."

Mami had to laugh at the look on Charlotte's face. "So, in regards to your offer, the answer is ye-"

"WOOHOO!" Charlotte suddenly shouted, startling Mami almost out of her wits. The pink-haired witch pumped her hands into the air and fell flat onto her back, fists still raised. "YES! IT WORKED! Go Team CHARLOTTE!"

Mami gaped at her. "Good gracious, you almost scared me out of my skin!"

Charlotte burst into a fit of giggle. "S-s-s-sorry," she laughed as she wiped away a tear. "It's just…Oh wow, I am _so _giddy right now." She sat back up. "Do you have any idea how scared I was about doing this?"

Mami laughed in turn. "I think I have a fair idea, yes." Then she turned serious. "Though you have to understand, I…I won't be able to just jump into this, not right away. Shizuku says I was probably unconsciously, you know, 'making the switch' this whole time, but I haven't quite made it all the way yet, so, until I'm, ah, used to the idea-"

"No, no, no, don't worry!" Charlotte said hastily. She scrambled around so that she was sitting on her knees and facing Mami with her hands on the other girl's shoulders. "I totally understand! Take all the time you need, I won't push." Then she frowned. "Uh, I suppose that…kissing is out until then?"

Mami blanched. She had even thought of that. "Ah, y-yes. I really don't think I'm ready for that."

"Gotcha. Just learning my boundaries." Charlotte thought for a moment. "How about hugs? Are those okay?"

"Hugs?" Mami rubbed her jaw. "Well, yes. I suppose hugs are-Ah!"

Charlotte lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Mami in a tight embrace. Mami stiffened with surprise, but then she relaxed. With a smile, she returned the embrace, holding Charlotte warmly against herself.

Now that she had been made aware of how they really felt about each other, Mami wondered how she could have not noticed it sooner. It just felt _right, _holding Charlotte in her arms and being held in turn. Feeling warm and secure, Mami laid a head against her friend's shoulder and sighed happily. She had definitely made the right choice.

After a time, Charlotte said, "So…what about that thing I do whenever you have a bad dream? Are midnight cuddles on hold as well?"

Mami frowned, slightly annoyed that Charlotte had broken the feeling of bliss by making her do more thinking. She almost said that yes, it would be best to hold off on those until she had worked everything.

But then she reconsidered. Charlotte always made her feel better after a nightmare, and it felt good to hold her now. Then she made another decision.

"No, those are definitely still on," Mami said. She smiled. "In fact, seeing how it's probably a hassle to go all the way from your bed to mine whenever that happens, maybe it's time to, you know, cut out the middleman?"

Charlotte was silent for a moment. Then she slowly loosened her grip and drew back. She locked eyes with Mami and raised her right eyebrow. "Mami, are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting."

Still smiling, Mami raised her shoulders in a half-shrug. "Well, it only makes sense. I mean, if you're going to end up there anyway. Besides, I think it'll help us both."

"No shit, it will," Charlotte laughed. "Best girlfriend ever." Then, before Mami knew what was happened, Charlotte had leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"Oh!" Mami's eyes went wide. "Uh…"

"Oh, whoops!" Charlotte grinned. "Sorry. Guess I forgot."

Mami gave her a look. She shook her head and laughed. "No you didn't."

"Yeah, I didn't."

…

Freshly showered and changed, Mami stepped out of the bathroom. The clothes Dr. Young had loaned her weren't anything special, just a grey sweater and a pair of sweatpants, but at least they fit. And Mami had to admit, she did feel better. Unfortunately, she still hadn't figured out what she should do. Maybe Monica was right. Maybe she should go talk to a professional. Though she doubted that Cynthia would be expecting the topic of their conversation to turn from the aftereffects of encountering a full witch to Mami's confusion over the potential of having a sex life.

She was about to head toward the stairs, but then she noticed that one of the rooms had two girls standing at either side of the doorway. She didn't recognize them, but the fact that they were wearing the brown uniforms of the marshals gave her no doubt as to who was in the room beyond.

Mami hesitated. Reason told her to just leave it alone, to mind her own business and go back to Charlotte. But her feet disagreed and did so in a manner that gave no opportunity for argument.

As she approached, one of the marshals, a freckle-faced blonde, looked up. "Hi," she said.

"Hello," Mami said.

"You here to see her too?"

Mami blinked. She had expected to be told that nobody was allowed inside right off the bat. "Er, yes?"

The marshal opened the door just a crack. "Hey, someone else wants to pop in."

"Who is it?" Mami heard Nina say from the other side.

Mami cleared her throat. "Ah, it's Mami. Mami Tomoe."

There was a long pause, and then Nina said, "Sure. It's fine."

The marshal nodded. She put her hand on the door and pushed it open. Mami started in, but the marshal didn't move her arm out of the way.

"You're one of the ones that went into the labyrinth," she said.

Mami swallowed. "Yes."

The marshal studied her face for a moment. Then she said, "What you did was brave. And stupid. But brave."

"So I've been told," Mami said, choosing her words with care.

"Of that I have no doubt." With that, the marshal moved her arm, letting Mami enter.

This room was nearly identical to the one she had woken up in, except one of the beds was empty. Jezebel lay sleeping in the other. She wore a hospital gown that kept her arms and back bare, and it looked like the mattress and pillow had been modified to accommodate the key rings in her skin without causing discomfort.

Nina sat in a chair next to Jezebel's bed. Judging by how drawn her face was and how red her eyes were, she hadn't slept much. She looked up to Mami and sniffed. "Hi," she said, sounding as tired as she looked.

Mami nodded to her and looked to Jezebel. "How's she doing?" she asked in a low voice.

Nina looked to her sleeping friend. She reached over and took Jezebel's hand. "Exhausted. She was crying for most of the night and didn't fall asleep until around seven. She's been out ever since."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah. Me too." Nina glanced back up to her. "Thank you, by the way. For coming."

"Oh," Mami said, unable to think of anything better. "O-of course."

"I hope I haven't cause trouble for you."

Mami shook her head. "Monica Linemann gave us a small lecture, but that was about it."

"That wasn't what I was talking about."

They fell silent for a few moments. Then Mami, without not really knowing why, said, "She looks so…small."

That got a small smile out of Nina, though there wasn't much humor in it. "You mean compared to how she was last night? Yeah, she does."

"Do you…" Mami hesitated, wondering if it was wise to continue.

The smile disappeared. "Know why she changed?" Nina finished for her.

Mami said nothing.

Shaking her head, Nina said, "I just…Well, she…she said that…" Her voice cracked, and she swallowed noisily.

Mami instinctively reached out to her. "Nina…"

Nina abruptly stood up. "Excuse me," she whispered. Then she hurried from the room.

Feeling absolutely wretched, Mami stood still in the middle of the room. What was she doing here? She just wanted to help, but instead she just ended up making things worse.

Well, it would be best to leave before causing more damage. Mami was about to move toward the door, but by chance she happened to glance at Jezebel again.

The witch's eyes were open

Despite no longer having one, the sensation of her heart leaping into her throat was quite believable. "Jezebel!" Mami said as she took a step back in surprise.

Jezebel's face scrunched up. "You are…" she said slowly, as if talking was not something she was accustomed to, "…Mummy?"

"Ah, no. Mami."

"Right," Jezebel said with a slow nod. "Mami. From the…"

"Nautilus Platform," Mami supplied for her.

"Right. You've been by a few times. To visit. You and your friends."

Mami nodded. What else could she do?

Ironically, despite her frail condition, Jezebel didn't seem to be at a loss for words, even if she seemed to have trouble getting them out. "You were…there, yes? Last…last night."

"I was," Mami said. "Monica Linemann asked us to…help." She shot a nervous glance toward the door, half-expecting the marshals to burst in and sternly tell her to leave before she accidentally caused Jezebel to regress back to a full witch.

Jezebel stared stonefaced at her for a long, uncomfortable moment, and it was then that Mami noticed that the girls' pupils were shaped like tiny keyholes.

"You went with them," Jezebel whispered at last. "To bring me back."

Mami wasn't really sure what to tell her, so she played it safe. "I'm glad you're okay," she said.

Jezebel's response wasn't the one she had been hoping for. The young witch's eyes filled with tears, and her face scrunched up with misery. A pitiful sob forced its way out of her throat.

Oh no. "Jezebel, wait," Mami pleaded. She took the smaller girl's hands in her own. "Please don't. No one blames you for what happened."

"They should," Jezebel cried. She sniffed and wiped her eyes with the underside of her arm. "It's all my fault."

Mami wasn't sure what she was talking about, but wasn't about to pry. So instead, she sat down in a nearby chair and held Jezebel's hand while she cried. It was the only thing she could think to do.

Finally, Jezebel started to calm down. "I'm sorry," she said, wiping her eyes again. "I shouldn't…"

"It's okay," Mami said with an encouraging smile. There was a cup of water on a nearby table. She handed it to Jezebel, who gulped down half of it.

"Thank you," Jezebel said. "I guess you want to know why I…changed?"

Mami hesitated. "Well, it's not really my business…"

Acting like she hadn't heard her, Jezebel said, "See, I never…really felt comfortable here. In this world. I didn't feel like I belonged, but I couldn't figure out why. I mean, I had it good: close friends, interesting work, the chance to make a difference, you know? So why wasn't I happy?" She grabbed a tissue from a nearby box and blew her nose. "Sorry. But anyway, you know that Nina was the one who killed me, right? And that I killed her back?"

"Yes. Denna told us," Mami said with a nod. "It's the same for me and Charlotte."

"Yeah. But anyway, a few nights ago we were talking, and she let slip that she had actually been hunting for me for a long time before we fought. When I asked her why, she got all, you know, embarrassed and stuff, and tried to change the subject, but I made her tell." Her eyes misted up again, and she grimaced. "Th-then she said…that I had first appeared in a park…you know, a-as a witch…and there was a family there…they had two kids and…and I…"

Her voice choked up, and she gulped down the rest of the water. "S-sorry. But after she told me that, it was like…I got it, you know? I knew why I was really happy. It was because I didn't _deserve _to be happy."

The breath caught in Mami's throat. She tried to disguise it by coughing.

"I mean, what right did I have to be living such a good life after what I did?" Jezebel continued. "And the more I thought about it, the more it made me angry. I should have gone to Hell, but instead I came here. And finally, well…" She started to cough, and cleared her throat loudly. "I…I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm saying all this. This isn't your problem. I'm sorry."

The two girls sat in silence, with the only sound being that of the nearby ticking clock. Then, in a low voice, Mami spoke, "Jezebel, I don't know if you'll believe me, but I know _exactly _how you feel."

Angry flashed over Jezebel's face. "Don't say that!" she said. "Everyone's trying to be all empathetic, when there's no way-"

"I mean it," Mami said firmly. "You see, I'm not like you. I never became a witch. As such, I don't need for other people to tell me the sorts of things I used to do. I can remember it for myself."

Jezebel frowned. "What, were you a murderer or something?"

"I was worse. Most girls, when they make a wish and contract with an Incubator, tend to stay in their home towns, fighting witches until they fall or become witches themselves. But I took it further. I traveled to many places, helping out other Puella Magi however I could."

"That doesn't sound so-"

"And I recruited," Mami said. Her heart clenched up as several faces paraded through her mind. "I saved other girls from witches and convinced them to make contracts of their own. I thought I was doing good, but the whole time I was just furthering the Incubators' designs. How many girls would have lived normal, happy lives if I had just left them be? How many died because of me?"

Jezebel blinked. "B-but you didn't know. It wasn't your fault."

"And _neither did you!" _Mami leaned forward, earnestly squeezing Jezebel's hand. "We're all victims here. And we're all monsters. Enough misery has been created because of us. Why add to it?"

Biting her lower lip, Jezebel mused over this before asking, "How do you deal with it, then? How do you make the guilt go away?"

"You don't," Mami answered honestly. "I don't think it ever goes away, not entirely. But you learn to live with it. And instead of letting it rule you, you use it as reason to better yourself, to try to balance out the pain you caused. They say we were brought here to give us a second chance. Why not make the most of it?"

Jezebel didn't answer, but she did appear to be taking Mami's words into deep consideration.

"In the meantime though, just try to hold on." Mami brushed the hair from Jezebel's face and leaned over to kiss her forehead. "You aren't alone in this, and I know your friends care deeply for you. And they understand more than you know."

"All right," Jezebel whispered. "I'll try."

Mami smiled and took her leave. That had gone much better than she had expected. Maybe she could do some good after all.

She was just leaving the room when she nearly bumped into someone who had been standing silently in the hall. "Oh!" Mami said in surprise. "Nina! I didn't-"

Without warning, Nina lunged forward to wrap Mami in a furious embrace. Taken off guard, Mami just stood as still as a statue before tentatively returning the hug. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that the marshals were doing their best to look anywhere except at the two girls and grimaced with embarrassment.

Finally Nina slowly drew back. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"It's all right," Mami said.

Pushing a few stray strands of hair out of her face, Nina stared down at her feet. "I heard what you said. Thank you."

Mami blinked. "How long were you out here?"

"Long enough."

Hesitating a moment, Mami ventured, "Did you already know? I mean, about why she changed?"

Nina nodded. "Y-yeah, she told me. I, uh, didn't know what to say. You did a lot better than I did. Thanks."

"Don't sell yourself short," Mami said. "You were still the first one to go back for her. And it's clear that you mean a lot to her."

"Oh, I know. I'm just crappy with words. So, thanks." Nina was about to reenter the room, but she hesitated. "Hey, uh, Mami? I'm probably overstepping my bounds here, but c-can I give you some advice?"

"Advice?" Mami felt a little befuddled. "Well, I suppose so…"

"Look, I know I don't know you that well, but I've still seen you around, and, uh…" Nina swallowed. "It's just…you and Charlotte? You guys have something special. Don't even take it for granted."

With that, she quickly darted back into the room, closing the door behind her. Now utterly beside herself, Mami stared after her. She glanced at the marshals, both of which looked like they wanted to be anywhere else, before turning away with a sigh and heading back down the hallway.

...

_So here's chapter two of three. Last chapter had three flashbacks and four present-day segments (well, present-day for this story). This one had two present-day segments and one real long flashback. I tried chopping it up a little, but it just worked better as one piece._

_Until next time, everyone!_


	3. First Kisses

First Kisses

_Now…_

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. Things were done, places were visited, and people were talked to, but if asked, Mami would be unable to recall specific details without some prompting. Dr. Young did discharge both her and Charlotte, which was evidenced by the rest of their day being spent outside of the clinic. Words of apology and gratitude were exchanged with Denna at one point, but they were swiftly forgotten. As for everything beyond that, Mami couldn't rightly say. Her mind kept tumbling the same three things through it: Charlotte's interrupted seduction and the related dream, the battle through Jezebel's barrier, and the conversation she had with Jezebel in the clinic.

It was that last bit that stuck out. In her mind, Mami replayed it over and over again, watching as Jezebel confessed the feelings of wretchedness and guilt that led to her regression, followed by her own comforting words of second chances and carrying on. The thing was, the more she thought about it, the more she found Jezebel's words echoing in her own voice.

She slowly inhaled a shaky breath and let it out. At the moment, they were heading back to the Nautilus Platform. As the _ES _had been left back at the _Aurora Borealis, _the marshals were giving them a ride home. Mami had no objections, especially since letting either her or Charlotte operate any kind of motor vehicle in their state was probably a bad idea. Even if there wasn't much to crash into, they would likely end up going off course and overshooting. Shivering, she hugged her arms around herself and rested her head against Charlotte's shoulder. For her part, Charlotte didn't react. She just stared out to sea, lost in thoughts of her own.

Mami must have dozed off, because the next thing she knew Charlotte was nudging her awake. They were at the Platform. Mami blinked several times and shook away any lingering feelings of dazedness.

The marshals dropped them off, and the two girls entered the elevator cage. Mami pressed the button, and they rattled their way up to the house. As they ascended, Mami was suddenly struck with a thought.

"Wait!" she said, surprising Charlotte out of her private musings. "We forgot!"

Charlotte blinked stupidly at her. "Huh? Forgot what?"

"Dr. Cynthia! Remember we promised Ms. Linemann we would see her?"

Charlotte gave her the oddest look, her brow furrowing with concern. Mami tilted her head in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Uh, Mami?" Charlotte said, choosing her words with care. "We already saw her. Remember?"

Mami stared back, and then the memory emerged from the haze that was the last few hours. They _had _gone to see Dr. Cynthia, who had spoken to them, first together and then separately. Words concerning their experience in Jezebel's barrier had been exchanged, along with advice on how to deal with the emotional fallout. It was just that Mami had been so wrapped up with another issue entirely that the whole trip had flown right out of her mind.

"Oh my," she said, rubbing her forehead. "You're right. I must be more addled than I thought."

"Ditto," Charlotte said. They stepped off the elevator. "So, what say we call it a day?"

Mami glanced at the sky. It was early evening, and the sun was making its way toward the horizon. Normally around this time they would be freezing and packing away the day's harvest and then spend the rest of the day how they saw fit before turning in at 10:00 PM. But given the circumstances, Mami didn't object much to having an early bedtime. They would just take some medication for the nightmares and sleep until the last of the weariness was gone.

Or at least, that was the safest course. But given the thoughts swimming through Mami's mind and the emotions churning in her stomach, she didn't expect either of them to do much sleeping.

"Dibs on the shower," Charlotte said wearily as they entered the house. "I mean, unless you'd rather-"

Mami shook her head. "No, it's fine. I already had one earlier. You go ahead."

"Right-o." Charlotte stumbled her way into the bathroom and slammed the door, though it didn't sound so much that she was angry as she had simply forgotten to gently close the door. This was followed by the squeak of the knobs and the sound of hissing water.

As for Mami, she walked into the bedroom they shared and sat down in front of the dresser. On it was an oval mirror. She studied her face.

Goodness, she was a fright. Her eyes were hollow and bloodshot, her hair was in complete disarray, and her skin haggard. She stared at herself for a moment before picking up a hairbrush and attempting to enforce some order on the yellow tangle that sat on her head. She could have used magic, but for now she wanted to do things like a normal human being.

She worked on it for about thirty seconds pausing. What was she doing? Given her circumstances, the state of her hair ranked incredibly low. But she had to do _something _with her hands, lest they start shaking. With a sigh she went back to work and listened to Charlotte take her shower. Through the wall, she could hear the faint sound of Charlotte muttering to herself. Mami remembered Charlotte's bitter apology from that morning and figured that she too was dealing with a guilt complex of her own. While Mami usually fell into depression whenever the weight on her shoulders got too heavy, Charlotte's way of going about it was to hit herself several times in the head while going, "Stupid, stupid, stupid."

Guilt. It did seem to define much about their existence. For Mami, it came from memories of the young girls she had unknowingly enlisted into the same nightmare that had killed her and all those witches she had slain. For Charlotte, it was the knowledge that she had murdered the most important person in her life. Like Mami had told Jezebel, she didn't think it was ever going to go away. But as she had realized during their conversation, maybe it was dragging her down more than she had realized.

It was Jezebel's admission that had done it, when she had confessed to not feeling like she deserved her current life. With one sentence, she had summed up all the confusion Mami had been trying to sort out and given it a face. She thought back to all the times she and Charlotte had started making out only to be brought down by uneasiness and realized that it finally made sense. The reason why she had felt like she had been doing wrong was because being with Charlotte like that made her happy, and she didn't feel like she deserved to be happy.

That was it. That was all it was. It wasn't old traditions holding her back, it wasn't some lingering aversions to the nature of their relationship, it wasn't even nervousness about taking such a big step, though that part probably added to it. It was just her own self-loathing holding her back again.

In the mirror, Mami's face hardened. Well, no more. Maybe it was true that she was never going to be free from that shadow, but she was not going to let it stand between her and the girl she loved anymore. With that resolution made, she put the hairbrush down and moved from the chair to sit on the side of the bed.

Charlotte's shower was a long one, especially considering the limited hot water. But finally Mami heard her twist the knobs off and the water cut out. The illusion of her pulse increased, and even in her current state she found amusement in that. Though she no longer had blood or adrenaline, they still found a way to ensure that their jobs continued to be done.

Soon the door opened, and Charlotte entered with a towel wrapped around her torso. Mami swallowed and concentrated on keeping her eyes from wandering too much, though Charlotte's bare legs were making it difficult. She concentrated on her girlfriend's face, which was just as tired as before, with her dark pink hair hanging around it in damp streamers.

Charlotte glanced up and her robin-blue eyes widened with surprise. "Oh!" she said, unconsciously holding the towel tighter. "Uh, sorry. I forgot to take clean clothes."

_Well, here goes. _Mami breathed in through her nose, let it out, and said, "Charlotte, I-I think we need to talk."

This seemed to confuse the other girl. "Er, okay," Charlotte said, her brown rising and falling. She glanced over to the dresser. "I'll just grab something to wear and-"

"No, that's fine," Mami said firmly. She nodded to the chair she had just vacated. "Sit."

Now looking even more bewildered than before, not to mention extremely nervous, Charlotte shuffled over to the chair and sat down. She unconsciously started to cross her legs, but then remembered her current state of dress and quickly pressed them together.

A long silence passed between them, and then Mami said, "Char, I think we need to talk about what happened last night."

Charlotte's lips pressed together in a straight line. She let out a long sigh and said, "Yeah. Figured as much."

"You see-" Mami started to say, but Charlotte cut her off.

"Mami, be honest with me," she said. "That dream you had this morning. It wasn't about fighting Jezebel, was it?"

Taken off guard by the sudden change in subject, Mami blinked and said, "Well, no, but-"

"It was me, wasn't it?" Charlotte's lower jaw started trembling, and Mami could see that she was trying to keep from crying. "You were dreaming about fighting me. When I was a full witch. When I killed you."

Well, it looked like Mami's guess about wallowing in regretful thoughts of her own had been right on the money. "Charlotte, listen to me," she pleaded. "It isn't what you think."

A small sob escaped Charlotte's mouth, and she looked down, covering her face with the veil of her hair. "What's to think?" she mumbled. "It's still there. Nothing's going to change that. I killed you. Maybe I didn't mean to, but I still killed you. And now, every time you see me, every time you see _this," _she reached down and held up her tail, "you see the monster that bit your head off."

Mami angrily pounded her fists against her knees. "Stop it!" she commanded. "Stop that at once! That is _not _what I'm talking about!"

"It's not, is it? You were forced back into a witch's barrier. By me. You had a nightmare about fighting a witch. That was me. Then you dreamed about being killed by a witch. Which was-"

"No, I did not!" Mami cried. She stood up and marched over to where Charlotte was sitting. Grabbing the self-loathing girl by the hand, she pulled her off the chair and over to the bed, sitting her down. Charlotte didn't resist, but she didn't meet Mami's eyes either.

Sitting down next to her, Mami closed her eyes and mentally counted to ten. Once she was calm enough, she reached over to gently touch Charlotte's cheek, drawing her face toward her.

"Charlotte," she said softly. "Yes, I did relive the day I fought you. But it didn't end with you becoming a monster and biting my head off. And when I said we needed to talk about last night, I wasn't talking about Jezebel's barrier."

Charlotte's eyes, still wet with tears, blinked in confusion. "Y-you weren't?" She wiped her nose with the hem of her towel. "Then what-"

"I'm talking about what happened before," Mami said. "On the catwalk. Before Monica Linemann called us."

Charlotte stared for a moment longer, and then her face lit up with realization. "Oh," she said.

"Yes. That." Mami breathed in and out. "You see, I don't know if you know this, but I've been having…difficulty, when it comes to letting myself surrender to you. I've always been holding back, not willing to move further."

"Oh," Charlotte said again. She squirming, unconsciously rubbing her legs together. "Uh, Mami? Pretty sure that's normal for your first time. God knows how long it took me to work up the nerve to, uh, decide to give it a try last night."

"It's not just nerves," Mami told her. She reached over and covered Charlotte's hand with her own. It was a reflexive move on her part, one she had dozens of times before. But this time, she had momentarily forgotten that Charlotte's hands had been balled up on her legs. As Mami's fingers brushed Charlotte's bare skin, still damp from the shower, she was suddenly aware how close her fingers were to a very sensitive area, now only covered by a fuzzy pink towel. And judging by how pink Charlotte's face was becoming, she was noticing the same thing. But she didn't pull back, and Charlotte didn't object, so she left her hand where it was.

Swallowing, Mami continued. "I-I've felt that, whenever we start t-to get, ah, intimate, right as we near the Shizuku Zone…" That got a small surprised laugh from Charlotte. "…That I was doing something wrong, something I wasn't supposed to."

That made Charlotte frown. "Wait, you're not still…"

"Nothing like that," Mami assured her. "I mean, that's what I thought it was, but that never felt like it was right." She used her free hand to loosen the neck of her sweater. "I felt like I was trying to take something th-that I, ah, I don't know. Had no right to. That's what it felt like."

Now Charlotte looked even more confused. "But why? I mean, nine times out of ten I'm the one who started it. If it's permission you're worried about I don't see-"

"Oh, no," Mami moaned. "Not that. I knew that you…I mean, I knew I wasn't…" Clearly she wasn't explaining herself well enough. "I don't mean that. It's…" Well, here went everything. "It has to with certain unresolved issues I had, concerning my past life, and the thing I did in it."

Charlotte thought on this for a few seconds before venturing, "Mami? Does this have something to do with your guilt complex?"

"Exactly," Mami said, relieved that they were finally on the right track. "You see, even with all the progress I've made in putting all that behind me, it was still holding me back, keeping me from truly letting myself be happy, even if I didn't realize it."

"Oh. Uh, okay." Charlotte's gaze drifted over to the opposite wall. The bewilderment on her face was starting to melt away. "So, uh, it's kinda like we talked about that one time. At the beach."

Now it was Mami's turn to be confused. "What time are you talking-" Then she remembered, and her eyes widened. "Oooooh."

"Yup." Charlotte favored her with a cheeky grin. "That's the one. Remember what we said? About forgiving ourselves?"

Mami nodded. "Yes. That's it exactly. Doing so is still a problem, it seems."

"So, uh, wow." Charlotte reached up to scratch the back of her neck. "What, uh, made you realize what was wrong?"

Still holding onto Charlotte's hand, Mami shifted in her seat to face her better, bringing one leg onto the bed. "Do you remember how, this morning, it took me quite a long time to come back from my shower?"

Charlotte gave her a look. "I was handcuffed to my bed and couldn't leave until you got back. Kinda noticed."

They both giggled at that. "Sorry," Mami said. "But it was important."

"Continue," Charlotte nodded.

"You see, on my way back, I passed by the room where they were keeping Jezebel."

Charlotte's eyes widened with surprise. "Jezebel? Really?"

Mami nodded. "And I got to talk to her a bit. And she told that the reason she, ah, changed was because she knew that the life she had here was a good one, and felt that she didn't deserve it." She cleared her throat. "Well, let's just say it put a few things into perspective."

A long, heavy silence fell between them. Mami watched Charlotte's eyes. She could practically see the tiny wheels turning in her head. Then the pinkette cleared her throat and ventured, "And now?"

"Now?" Mami felt the attack of nerves that she had been suppressing flare up. It was finally time. "I think I'm a little tired of weighing myself down." A smile, one that was small and nervous but still very much real, touched her lips. She reached over to softly touch the back of Charlotte's neck and brought her close. "Now I think I'm ready for a little happiness."

There was one last moment of hesitation, one last scared look in Charlotte's eyes. Then their lips touched, and it was forgotten. They held the kiss for a few seconds, and then Charlotte let Mami slowly lower her back onto the bed.

…

_Then…_

Freehaven was a tourist town. Oh sure, it was plenty of other things too: a major shipping hub, a significant political power, an industrial center, the largest producer of food for kilometers, and, something that was well-hidden and unadvertised, home to an extremely powerful military force. Being the Free Life Alliance territory closet to the Withering Lands practically demanded it. But tourism was what it was primarily known for, and as such a great deal of work had gone into making sure the main part of the city was as visitor-friendly as possible.

To that end, the locals had to set aside a few alternative methods of recreation should they want a day off that was relatively free of tourists. Celeste Beach was one of them. Located quite a bit a ways away from the town itself, it was carved out of an incredibly sheer seaside cliff and, thanks to a labyrinth of sharp stones and coral reefs, no actual paths leading from it to the town, and nothing resembling stairs going down to it, it was very hard to find and just as hard to reach. Of course, the fact that everyone had superhuman abilities, both physical and magic, and that even a fatal drop off the cliff would do nothing more than temporarily inconvenience anyone trying to reach it meant that actually getting there wasn't much of a problem, but it was too out of the way and too much of a hassle to reach when there were plenty of other beaches to really draw in outsiders. Of course, there were always those who considered such difficulties to be a personal challenge, which is why the location and existence of Celeste Beach was an unofficial secret. To date, there had been only one Freehaven resident that had tried to publicize it as a way to make money. This person's name was now lost to history, and if the rumors floating around concerning those that had since been released by Oblivion carried any weight, so was everything else about her.

The Nautilus girls honestly didn't go there often. Their job kept them so busy and the platform was located far enough from the town that when they were struck with the mood to spend the day at the beach, it was just easier to use one of the tourist beaches. But today they had been invited by a few friends of theirs who had promised lots of free food and fun activities, and the weather had been very nice as of late, so why the hell not? They could stuff themselves silly with hotdogs and watermelon and poke around the tide pools for any extraterrestrial life that might have wandered in.

Which was more-or-less exactly how things ended up. Charlotte, Mami, and their Russian friend Annette stepped gingerly over the slick stones and peered into the small pools, trying to find anything that wasn't of Earth origin.

"Okay, what about those ones?" Charlotte asked, pointing.

Annette pushed her long, copper hair out of her face and squinted. Her mother had been a marine biologist, so she was their designated expert. "No," she said in her thick accent. "Another anemone."

"Crap. Okay, what about those?"

"Sponge."

"Really?" Charlotte said in disappointment. "But it looks so…"

"Ugly sponge. But it's still a sponge."

As they searched, Mami felt her eyes wandering over to Charlotte more and more. The pink-haired witch's swimsuit wasn't anything especially revealing: just a yellow spaghetti strap tank-top and a pair of blue board shorts. Still, she wore them well, and now that Mami had accepted that she now liked girls, she found herself appreciating Charlotte's assets more and more. After all, the girl had a magnificent pair of legs.

As she crouched over a tidal pool, Charlotte happened to glance over her shoulder and, seeing that Mami was watching her, grinned. "Hey, you were checking me out, weren't you?"

Mami blushed. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"Hey, don't apologize. It's flattering, you know." Charlotte straightened up and turned around. "Besides, we're technically together now, remember?" Her gaze roved over Mami's body, which was covered by a white bikini. "I think you're allowed."

Sighing, Mami gave Charlotte's shoulder a playful push. "You're hopeless."

"Absolutely," Charlotte said without a hint of shame. "Heck, I've been checking you out since we changed."

Mami's blush increased. "Ah, you have."

"Yup. I'm just better at hiding it." Winking, Charlotte tilted her head and flashed her a thumb's-up.

Over by another pool, Annette folded her arms and shook her head in disapproval. "Will you two please get a room? Or at least wait until I'm out of earshot."

Charlotte laughed while Mami buried her face in her hands. "Sorry Annette," Charlotte said. "We'll try to keep our flirtatious ways out of your sight from now on. Right, Mami?"

Sighing, Mami walked off by herself. Once she was far enough, she allowed herself a small laugh. If there was one thing she could count on, it was Charlotte's audacity. She made a mental note to enlist Shizuku's help in getting back at her later.

Humming to herself, Mami picked her way over to the stones near the cliff's face. There was a small, shadowed alcove there, so maybe something had taken refuge there. As she neared, she stopped long enough to close her eyes and take in the moment. She listened to the sound of the surf crashing against the rocks mingle with the cry of gulls and the happy chatter of her friends. She felt the sun shine warmly on her bare skin. She smelled the clean, salty air and sighed with contentment. Heaven this might not be, but sometimes it came close.

Then a low snarl reminded her why afterlife comparisons weren't a good idea.

"Mami," she heard Charlotte whisper. In contrast to her earlier carefree manner, Charlotte now sounded urgent and afraid. "Don't move."

Mami went ramrod-stiff. She opened her eyes and cautiously moved them toward the snarl's source.

There, crouched on a boulder above her, was a dinosaur. Well, no, of course it wasn't actually a dinosaur, but it certainly looked like one, specifically one of those velociraptors from the _Jurassic Park _movies. Before she had died, Mami recalled that scientists had discovered that raptors weren't actually lizardlike at all, but were covered with feathers like a bird. This one however was having none of that. Its body was covered with tough, dark red scales, with armored plates down its back and sharp spikes jutting out of its spine and the sides of its elbows, knees, and ankles. There was a short horn on the tip of its snout, and it had three diamond-sahped eyes that looked like clusters of glowing green grapes: two on either side of its face and one in the center of its forehead. Its mouth was open, displaying two rows of knife-like teeth. At the end of its flexible tail was a bony ball covered with spikes, like a mace.

It was a valk, a predator native to the dockengaut homeworld. Like everything else from that horrid place, they were extremely dangerous. Their aggressiveness bordered on maliciousness, and while they did not hunt in packs like their film cousins, one was enough to ruin anybody's day. In addition to claws, teeth, and spikes, their saliva was venomous, causing both paralysis and overwhelming pain. In fact, a favorite tactic of theirs was to cut into their victims and lick the wound, seemingly for no other reason than sadism. Quite possibly the only creature that didn't fear them were the dockengauts themselves, and they didn't fear anything. They had been the apex predator back home and were so again here in the afterlife.

But the valks were a close second.

This valk was fully grown, rising up to about Mami's shoulder, and almost three meters long. It probably had established a nest nearby to take advantage of all the free seafood, and didn't think too kindly of all the pink monkeys tramping around its territory.

Mami had no problem following Charlotte's instruction to not move, mostly because she _couldn't _move. Even though she knew that, with her powers and weapons she could fight it off with relative ease, she was still terrified. It was like the valk had paralyzed her already. Her chin trembled, and she let out a whimper.

The valk glared down at her with all three eyes. Bits of drool fell from its snarling maw to land on her skin, leaving burning marks. It hunkered down, ready to lunge at her.

Then a rock bounced off its armored snout. Startled, it reared back and hissed.

"Get away from her!" Charlotte shouted. She held up another stone and drew her arm back, ready to throw.

Mami started to panic. Charlotte may have been a witch, but she still had the enhanced strength, speed, and agility of a Puella Magi, even more than most people. But her powers and weapons were gone, and the only offensive witch ability that she was known to possess was one that she had sworn to never use for any reason. And even her superhuman reflexes were no match for a valk. It was going to tear her apart.

Fortunately, Annette suffered from no such handicap. "Mami!" she shouted, clasping her hands together and holding them out in front of her. "Down!"

Mami found her movement again and threw herself to the ground. The stone bruised her skin and tore her knees and elbows, but it was a small price to pay.

A blast of air shot out of Annette's hands to slam into the valk's chest. It was literally lifted right off its feet and sent wailing across the water to land with a large splash nearly half a kilometer away.

Moments later, Mami found herself surrounded by her friends, first just Charlotte and Annette, but the others as well once they noticed the commotion. She was lifted to her feet and bombarded by concern.

"I'm all right," she said hastily, backing away from the press of bodies. "J-just a little shaken up."

"Are you sure?" Shizuku said, leaning in close with a frown. "A valk attack is nothing to be brushed off lightly."

"I'm fine!" Mami insisted. "Charlotte and Annette stopped it before it could attack." She turned to her two rescuers. "Thank you, by the way."

"Think nothing of it," Annette said.

Charlotte however wasn't deterred so easily. "If it didn't attack, how'd you get those?" she asked, pointing at Mami's shoulder.

Mami looked down and was surprised to see that the spots where the valk's drool had landed were now burning with scarlet rashes and blisters. Furthermore, they itched furiously. "Oh," she said, her eyes widening. "It drooled a little on me. Wow, that stuff really is potent."

"All the more reason to get you out and someplace where we can get you treatment," Shizuku said grimly. She turned to the rest of the group. "All right, girls. I'm sorry, but it looks like the party's over. Mami here needs some medical attention, and the marshals need to be told about valks in the area."

Nobody had any objections, and the group started to move back to the beach. As they walked, Charlotte slipped behind Mami and gently put her arms around her waist.

"Don't scare me like that," she murmured, nuzzling the back of Mami's head.

"I'm sorry," Mami said with a small smile. "I'll endeavor to avoid attracting negative attention from predatory monsters in the future."

"And yeah, speaking of that, what was it even doing here?" Natsuru asked in confusion. "We're nowhere near dockengaut territory!"

This was met with a murmur of agreement. "Maybe it escaped from somewhere?" suggested Natalie, a short girl with chocolate-colored skin and hair. "Like a lab or a zoo?"

"No zoos near here," pointed out a freckle-faced brunette named Alice.

The only nonhuman member of their party, an ai'jurrik'kai by the name of Kii'sa'ko, took that moment to break into the conversation. "Peeeerhaaaaaps iiiiiiiit waaaas theeee Voooooid Waaaaalkeeers?" the nine-armed, glass-bodied alien suggested in the whistling, drawn-out voice of her people. "Iiiiiit sooouuunds liiiiiike soooomethiiiiing theeeeey'd doooooooo."

More murmurs of agreement. "If so, we really need to start paying better attention to what comes from over the ocean," Shizuku said. "Or under it."

"Great," Charlotte muttered as she released Mami's waist. She walked over to a jutting, barnacle covered rock and kicked it. "Just what we need: more paranoia. I mean, isn't it enough that we gotta worry about them sending invading armies without adding nasty monsters to the mix? What's next, some kind of leviathan thingamabobber large enough to gobble up the whole…"

Her complaints faded away, as did the color from her face. A low snarl had just come from right behind her.

It was then that everyone realized their mistake. In their haste to evacuate the area, they had forgotten that the vanquished valk might have had a mate.

The matter was settled in an instant when said mate attacked seemingly out of nowhere. It slammed into Charlotte's back and knocked her down. Her face smacked stone and her nose broke. But before she could cry it, the valk was standing on her back, claws digging into her flesh. Then it lunged down and tore a chunk out of her shoulder.

…

_Now…_

The back of Charlotte's head fell back against the fuzzy blue blanket, her short pink hair splaying around her like a halo. Her blue eyes were wide with apprehension, but the corners of her mouth were lifted in an excited smile. Mami knew exactly how she felt.

Mami carefully maneuvered her legs over so that she was sitting on Charlotte, straddling her hips. All too aware of how little fabric was separating their thighs and that the fabric was likely to be removed in the very immediate future, Mami swallowed back her butterflies and bent over to kiss Charlotte again. That at least she was comfortable with, and from there they could-

"Please be gentle with me, Mami-sempai" Charlotte murmured in an overly submissive tone. "It's my first time."

A burst of surprised giggles at her lover's audacity completely broke the kiss apart, and Mami nearly fell off the Charlotte entirely. "Oh my," Mami managed to get out. "Did you really just say that?"

Caught up in a fit of laughter of her own, Charlotte had covered her eyes and forehead with her hand. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she snickered. "I had to! I get one chance to do that, I had to take it!"

"Oh good Lord," Mami breathed. She shook her head in disbelief and laughed again. "Well, you just went and _completely _ruined the mood, so congratulations on that."

"Still broke some of the tension though, didn't it?" Charlotte said with an unrepentant smirk.

"It did that, yes," Mami admitted. Then her mood sobered. "Though, ah, that does bring up a pertinent point. For whatever reason, I seem to have taken the lead here. And I really have _no _idea what to do."

"What, and I do?" Charlotte reached up and gave her shoulder a playful nudge. "C'mon, this is as new for me as it is for you." Then she frowned. "Well, as far as I know. Maybe in my past life I was the school bicycle. How would I know?"

"I'm fairly certain you weren't, honey," Mami said wryly. She leaned over to give Charlotte a kiss and was able to finish it this time. As they parted, she murmured, "Though my point is that neither of us really knows what we're doing."

"I think the same holds for almost everyone during their first time," Charlotte said with a smile. "Though, uh, come to think of it, I do have a basic idea of, well, you know."

Mami brow rose quizzically. "What?"

"Oh, uh, see, Vickie loaned me some books a few months ago. Romance novels, you know?" Charlotte's smile progressed to a full grin. "And, uh, they were kind of hot. Not to mention really, really detailed. I've done some reading on the subject, you might say. Repeatedly."

Mami sighed and drew back. "Charlotte, you're not seriously implicating sexual prowess because you've read _pornography, _are you?"

"Hey!" Charlotte said, sticking up a finger. "Erotica! Not pornography!"

"What's the difference?"

"Story, mainly. Plus artistic merit. And the kinds of adjectives they use."

Mami put a palm to her face. Here she was, having just survived a highly traumatic experience, finally worked out some nagging psychological issues, and was just about to lose her virginity, and she was getting roped into a debate concerning the artistic merits of explicit romance novels. "All right, maybe we'd better move on," she said weakly.

"Agreed."

Mami slipped off of Charlotte to kneel on the floor in front of her. She tried not to stare at the exposed area between Charlotte's legs and beneath the towel, as absurd as that sounds. It just felt improper, like peeking at one's Christmas presents early. Instead, she nervously touched the sides of Charlotte's legs and slowly moved her hands up, hesitating as she reached the towel's border.

"Uh," she said. "May I?"

Charlotte snickered. "Mami, let's just get this out of the way. You have my full permission to do anything you feel like. Seriously. I put myself in your hands. Literally. Go nuts."

"Right," Mami breathed. She started to move her hands higher. "Well."

"I mean, unless you're thinking of doing something kinky or weird. Then I'd appreciate it if you asked first. I'll probably still say yes though."

Mami paused, wondering if she should address that last statement but decided that it was more prudent to ignore it. So instead, she slid her hands up under the towel. Charlotte inhaled sharply through her nose as Mami's fingertips brushed up over her hips to trace lines over her waist. The bottom of the towel parted as she went, finally allowing Mami to see.

She stared for a time, unsure of what she should do, and finally said in a small voice, "Ah. You shave too, I see."

"Nope," Charlotte said, her voice slightly higher than usual.

Mami blinked. "Wait, really?"

"Save for my head, I be bare as the day I came crying," Charlotte confirmed. "All natural. Part of my witch deal. Pretty handy, actually. Less itching."

"Oh," Mami said, in lieu of nothing else to say.

"Well, maybe not. For all I know, I could've come out as hairy as a jott hippie. I mean, how would I know?"

Mami's sighed again. She could feel a mild headache coming on. "Char, are you bound and determined to derail any momentum we gain with awkward mental images?"

"Mami, I am lying here buck naked with your face so close to my vagina that I can feel you breathe." Charlotte let out a very uncharacteristic giggle. "My brain checked out a looooooong time ago, and my mouth doesn't have an off-switch. I think I may be physically incapable of shutting up at this point."

"Well," Mami said as she rose up. "We'll just have to fix that."

"Oh, is that a challenge? I accept! Bring it-MMMPH!" The rest of Charlotte's rambling was cut off when Mami swiftly moved forward to press their lips together. Charlotte's eyes widened with surprise, but then her face softened and she smiled around the kiss.

Mami closed her eyes and tilted her head to one side, allowing Charlotte's tongue to slide in. Charlotte let out a small moan and clung tight to Mami, one hand gripping the back of her collar while the other buried its fingers in her golden hair, holding her close. Mami's breath was coming out in pants now. She pushed up on her toes and pushed in harder, sliding Charlotte's body further across the bed.

Finally they parted, and Mami smiled down at Charlotte's flushed face. "I win," she said.

"Yeah," Charlotte said, sounding dazed. "Congrats."

Flushed with excitement, Mami leaned in to kiss her again, but then it hit.

_What are you doing? _hissed that soft voice from the back of her mind. As it spoke, Mami's gut twisted up and went sour. _You shouldn't be doing this._

Mami paused. _I think it's a bit obvious what I'm doing._

_You shouldn't. Stop this. You have no right._

For some reason, the voice was louder this time, more insistent. Perhaps recognizing it for what it was gave it power, because right after Mami's head suddenly filled with familiar, yet horrible, images: the crying faces of girls she had known as they sunk into despair or were torn apart. Witches, their inhuman countenances somehow conveying terror as she struck them down.

_All this pain, all this suffering, all because of you. _Was Mami reading too much into things, or did the voice sound a little pushier than usual? _And here you are, enjoying yourself like it was nothing._

Seeing Mami's hesitation, Charlotte tilted her head to one side and frowned. "Uh, you okay?"

Making a decision that she should have made a long time ago, Mami continued her descent to softly kiss her lover's lips. _You're right, _she told the voice. _I did do all those things. I don't deserve this. _The kiss grew deeper and Charlotte moaned and squirmed beneath her. _But I'm not going to let that hold me back anymore._

Something changed then. It wasn't that she lost her feelings of responsibility for the things she had done while in the Incubators' service. It wasn't that she forgot the faces of those she had unknowingly drawn into their cycle of death and despair. It just didn't have the same power over her that it did. And for once, the voice had fallen silent.

Feeling emboldened by this, Mami moved back and reached down to touch where Charlotte's towel was folded at the top of her chest. A swift tug, and she drew the rest of it out of the way. Charlotte's slender body now lay fully exposed before her, her small, round breasts rising and falling with each heavy breath.

Her face turning bright pink, Charlotte swallowed and shyly glanced away. "Yeah, I know. Isn't much, but it's what I-"

"You're beautiful," Mami said in wonder.

Charlotte's gaze snapped back. "Huh? Really?"

In answer, Mami lowered herself down to kiss where Charlotte's neck met her shoulder. "Mmmmmm," Charlotte murmured, sounding pleased. Taking this as a sign of encouragement, Mami gradually worked her way down, leaving a trail of tender kisses in her wake.

As Mami's path brought her to the slope of her breast, Charlotte brought her head up and said, "Uh, w-what happened to not kn-knowing what you're doing?"

Without removing her mouth from Charlotte's skin, Mami glanced up at her and murmured, "I don't know. It just…felt right."

"Y-yeah?" Charlotte grinned. "Well, keep listening to your instincts. They're giving some pretty good advice."

Mami had no problem with those instructions. She brought her mouth down over Charlotte's nipple and gave it a soft suck. Charlotte sucked in a sharp, hissing breath, her body tensing up. Then she slowly let herself relax, letting out a soft sigh of appreciation as Mami's tongue played teasingly over her nipple, causing it to stiffen and grow hard under her attention.

_I could get used to this, _Mami thought. It wasn't as strange as she expected. She lifted her head and favored Charlotte with a warm smile.

"Like it?" Charlotte said. Sweat was beading on her forehead and around her clavicle, making the shower she had just taken somewhat pointless.

"Very much so," Mami said. She lightly pinched the erect nipple between her thumb and forefinger. Charlotte's body shivered in response.

"Same," Charlotte whispered. She was trembling slightly. "But you know? I think there's a certain…inequality that needs to be addressed."

Mami frowned. "Char, you're not going to start on _that, _are you? Honestly, the size of your chest doesn't matter to me. You're beautiful the way you are."

"Oh, for Pete's sake," Charlotte sighed. "No, Mami. I'm not talking about that. Now get naked before I tear those clothes off you myself."

Oh, so _that's _what she meant. Offering an embarrassed half-smile of apology, Mami reached down to grab the bottom of her sweater and her shirt. Then she yanked them up over her head and dropped them on the floor behind her. She shook her head, letting her golden curls fall in waves around her shoulders.

Charlotte stared up at her as if she was witnessing the Madonna descended from Heaven. Though it should be noted that her eyes were not focused on Mami's face, but on a completely different area, one somewhat lower, pear-shaped, and held in place by a simple white bra. Charlotte's pink tongue flickered out at she nervously licked her lips.

Still staring at her pink-haired loved, Mami reached behind her back with shaking fingers to touch her bra's elastic strap. But before she could snap it open, Charlotte suddenly cried out, "Wait!"

Mami blinked. Wasn't this what she wanted? "What's wrong?"

"Here." Charlotte reached up behind Mami's back. "Let me. I mean, fair's fair, right?"

"Oh." Mami let out a shaky laugh and moved her hands out of the way. "O-of course."

Charlotte's fingers were trembling as much as much as Mami's had been, but she managed to undo the clasp and draw the bra down over her girlfriend's arms. She laid the bra to one side and stared. Mami had a sudden urge to cover her now bare breasts with her arms, but she resisted.

Charlotte continued to stare, and Mami, who was now feeling incredibly exposed, felt she should say something. She went for a joke. "S-so," she said, forcing a smile. "Are they everything you had hoped they would be?"

In answer, Charlotte swallowed and reached up to cup each breast with her hands. Mami shivered at the touch. She closed her eyes and sighed as Charlotte started to squeeze.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this," Charlotte said throatily as she kneaded Mami's flesh.

Mami opened one eye. "One year, one or two months, and some change?" she guessed.

Charlotte's hands paused in their work. "Wait, how'd you come up with that number?" she said in bewilderment.

Shrugging sheepishly, Mami placed her hands over Charlotte's, encouraging her to continue. "Well, we've been together for about a year, right? So I just took that and added the time before you confessed to…" Her eyelids fluttered and she let out a pleased moan. "Yes. J-just keep doing that."

"Huh, that makes sense." Charlotte said. Gaining confidence, she dug in with her fingers, eliciting a sharp gasp from Mami.

"Oh, sorry!" Charlotte said, withdrawing. "I didn't-"

Mami pushed her hands back in place. "No, that was a good gasp. Don't stop."

"Gotcha." The corner of Charlotte's mouth curved up in a smirk. "In fact…"

Without warning, Charlotte suddenly sat up and grabbed Mami by the armpits. Taken off guard, Mami let out a yelp of surprise as Charlotte twisted their bodies around. The back of Mami's head fell back against the pillow, and she found herself staring up at Charlotte's grinning face.

"My turn," Charlotte purred. Then, with one deft motion, she yanked Mami's skirt down over her legs. Mami's breath caught in her throat. Her fingers clenched at the blanket as Charlotte, now moving with careful deliberation, hooked her fingers around the elastic strap of Mami's panties and slowly drew them away like an unveiling ceremony.

Dropping the panties off the side of the bed, Charlotte stared down at Mami's naked crotch, looking as if she were mesmerized. Holding her breath, Mami closed her eyes and waited.

Finally Charlotte cleared her throat and said, "Uh. Yeah. You do shave."

Mami sighed and looked at her. Well, that had been anticlimactic. "I told you I did. It just feels cleaner, with all the swimming we do."

"Uh-huh." Still staring, Charlotte licked her lips, and Mami braced herself again. Any second now, she would feel Charlotte's soft lips against her-

"Well, maybe next time," Charlotte said. She got back up onto the bed and crawled over to lie next to Mami.

Feeling rather disappointed, Mami turned to look at her. "You…don't want to?"

Charlotte swallowed. "Uh, this is my first time too, remember? Still getting used to this. No need to rush."

"I guess you're right," Mami admitted. She gently ran a finger across Charlotte's brow and down on her temple. "So, what would you like to do now?"

"Well, there's always this." Charlotte reached up to cover Mami's hand with her own. From there, she guided it down her body, letting Mami's fingers slide over the curves of her waist and thighs. Intrigued, Mami let her herself be led along. Then her eyes widened when she felt her hand brush up against Charlotte's vagina.

Blinking, she stared questioningly into Charlotte's eyes. "A-are you sure?" she stammered.

In answer, Charlotte pressed Mami's hand in. "We're gonna have to do something down there sooner or later anyway," she said. "Boobs are great, but this is where the real fun is."

"O-oh, is it?" Mami was finding it very hard to concentrate on what Charlotte was saying. The smooth, warm flesh in her palm was proving to be quite the distraction. "D-did you l-learn that from your er-erotica?"

Charlotte laughed. "Uh, I guess? Plus, you know, I sorta figured it out for myself in the shower our first month in, and reconfirmed it almost every day since. Twice, if we got Shizuku Zoned."

"Really?"

"Yah. Really." Charlotte leaned forward to peck Mami on the lips. "C'mon Mami, this is pretty basic stuff. I know you're Miss Pure of Heart, but don't tell me you never…"

Mami said nothing.

"Wait, really?" Charlotte's eyes widened. "You're not serious, are you?"

Sighing, Mami said, "All right. Maybe once or twice."

One of Charlotte's eyebrows went up.

Her face flushed with embarrassment, Mami admitted, "A week."

"That's more I like it." Charlotte's fingers roamed over the bumps of Mami's knuckles. "Then you should know what to do."

Then her hand slid over their legs to cup Mami's pubic mound. She stiffened as slender fingers lightly moved over her labia. "C'mon," Charlotte said huskily. Her fingers started to move, caressing the clitoral hood while her middle finger stroked the slit. "Let's do this together."

Nodding numbly, Mami's fingers copied what Charlotte was doing. The flesh in her palm quivered and moistened in response.

"Oh, yes," Charlotte breathed. "Yes. Just keep doing…" Then she looped her free arm around Mami's waist and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Mami was more than happy to return the embrace, and the two girls pressed into each other, tongues squirming over each other, their breasts squishing together, while their fingers continued their dance.

Then Charlotte upped the ante. Using her forefinger and ring finger to spread Mami's vaginal lips, she stuck her middle finger in to the second knuckle. Mami's loins were already burning with a slow fire, but now they were blossoming up with consuming heat.

Taking that as a cue, Mami did the same. The movement of their fingers increased, and the muscles of Charlotte's vaginal walls constricting around her finger.

_I can't believe this is happening, _Mami found herself thinking. _This is…this is better than I had imagined. And to have it be with her…thank you. _Unsure of who she was thanking and not really caring at all, Mami growled as she grabbed a handful of Charlotte's hair and rolled fully on top of her. Charlotte's legs rose up to wrap tightly around her. Mami felt something rising within her, something hot and powerful and magical…

And then at last, the symphony reached its crescendo. Charlotte came first, her body trembling with exertion and her spine going stiff. Warmth flooded Mami's palm. Then, after a few more seconds of aggressive catching up on Charlotte's part, Mami joined her. She was already lightheaded, but now her mind seemed to blank out completely as her body rode the wave of pleasure.

When Mami regained her senses, she and Charlotte were lying side-by-side in a tangle of sweaty limbs. Her fingers were sticky, her pelvis was still tingling, and she was breathing heavily. What was more, she was happy, happier than she could remember being.

"Whoo," Charlotte breathed out. She slowly rolled to her back and stretched her legs out, easing out the tightened muscles. "Well. We did it."

"Mmmm." Mami closed her eyes, basking in the feeling of euphoria. "That we did."

"I can see why they call this the afterglow. Could get used to this feeling, you know?" Yawning, Charlotte turned to her and smiled. "So. Any bad feelings try to hold you back?"

"Briefly," Mami said with a sleepy nod. "But I told them to be quiet."

"That's my girl." Charlotte leaned over to plant a loving kiss on her forehead. "So. You wanna take a shower and clean all this stickiness off? Or we could try scissoring, if you like."

While both those options definitely held appeal, right now Mami was feeling too sleepy and comfortable to move from where she was. "Maybe next time," she murmured. "It's been a long day."

Charlotte laughed. "Truer words. Ugh, be right back."

Disentangling their limbs, Charlotte slipped off the bed long enough to switch off the light, blanketing the room in comforting darkness. Then she gently pulled the blanket out from under Mami.

Charlotte slid back into bed and pulled the blanket over them. Then she slipped her arms around Mami and drew her close. "I love you," she murmured as she laid Mami's head against her chest. "You know that, right?"

Sighing at the feel of her lover's fingers caressing through her hair, Mami nodded. "I love you too. Thank you for the wonderful experience."

"The same. We've come a long way, haven't we?"

"Yes. And we didn't need alien dinosaurs to attack us this time.

Charlotte chuckled at that. Yawning, she closed her eyes and her breathing evened out. They soon drifted off to sleep, holding each other in the dark.

…

_Then..._

"I hate valks," Charlotte said miserably. "Valks should all die." She was sitting in the makeshift paramedic tent Dr. Young had set up on the top of the cliff while the eccentric doctor in question tended to her shoulder. Outside, marshals were combing the area, seeking out any signs of more valks. The one that had been launched into the sea had already been captured, and its nest found and destroyed. Most of their friends had been questioned and were waiting patiently outside of the tent for news on Charlotte's condition.

As for the valk that had attacked Charlotte, it had already been bagged up and shipped back to Freehaven for examination. Several bags had been required, as did a thorough cleanup crew. Charlotte's friends had reacted poorly to seeing her maimed.

Fortunately for Mami, the rashes she had received meant that she was allowed to stay in the tent with Charlotte. Her problems had already been treated with a salve that neutralized the venom and soothed the itching. Charlotte's wound, however, was not so easily treated. Her shoulder was still growing back, and her entire upper arm and part of her back was covered with blisters. She had been bandaged and the area numbed, but she was still in a lot of pain.

Still, she was well enough to sit up complain, which was a positive sign. Mami, however, wasn't nearly so talkative. While her wounds had been quite minor by comparison, she had been very quiet since attack, responding to questions with monosyllabic answers but still making it clear that she was not going to leave Charlotte's side under any circumstances, even after being told that her friend would be all right.

"Welp, nasty beasties will do as they are wont," Dr. Young finished applying the dressing. Charlotte's arm was now encased in what looked like a cast made from aluminum. It didn't give her much range of motion, but considering that she was now missing a major part of her shoulder, it was probably for the best. "Some people keep 'em as pets, you know?"

Charlotte gave her a look. "You gotta be kidding me."

"Nope." Dr. Young stood up and started putting her tools away. "Mostly in rich indie places like Arkalyn and Steel City."

"The hell they want those ugly things for?" Charlotte demanded. "What's more, how do they keep them from attacking their owners? I thought they couldn't be tamed."

"Not normally, no. But you know how like when some birds and whatnot are hatched, they think the first thing they see is their mum?" When Charlotte nodded, Dr. Young said, "I hear it's something like that, only way, way more. They keep 'em valk eggs incubated separately and make sure they're right in front of 'em when they start pushing their way out. Treat 'em well afterways, and you've got a utterly loyal killing machine that'll do whatever you say."

Charlotte stared at her. "That may be one of the most disturbing things I've heard. Like, ever."

"For reals? After all that stuff about how we got here and whatnot, and that's what gives you the jibblies?" Dr. Young headed for the tent's entrance. "Anyway, sit tight, lie down, and get some rest. I gotta go help with the cleanup."

With that, she was gone, leaving Charlotte and Mami by themselves. And that just made Mami feel worse. At least when everyone had been fussing over them, it had provided a distraction. But now that distraction was gone.

"Figures," Charlotte said as she gingerly rubbed her bandaged shoulder. "We go out and try to have some fun. Just a trip to the beach with friends, right? And we get attacked by freaking valks. Worst beach trip ever." She sighed and let her hand fall. "Pets. I can't believe it." Then she glanced over to Mami and frowned.

"All right," she said. "What's wrong? Besides the obvious, I mean."

Mami considered pretending that nothing was wrong, but it would be pointless. Charlotte wasn't one to take 'no' for an answer. "I…I just froze up," she said, her eyes firmly fixated on the ground. "Back there, when I saw the valk."

"Well, yeah," Charlotte said, scratching her head. "It was a valk. Valks are terrifying alien dinosaurs of death. I would freeze up too."

"But you didn't!" Mami protested. "And neither did Annette!"

"That's because it wasn't focused on us." Charlotte put a hand on her almost-girlfriend's shoulder. "Mami, come on. I know beating yourself up is your first impulse every time something goes wrong, but a valk attack would make anyone wet themselves. Heck, you were the first one to fire when the second one jumped on my back. Cut yourself some slack already."

Mami knew that Charlotte was right, but she still found it difficult to shake the feelings of inadequacy. "I know, I know," she said. She covered Charlotte's hand with her own. "It's just it shouldn't have scared me like that. The worst it could do was hurt me-"

"That it can," Charlotte said wryly.

"-so it's not like I was risking death." Mami sighed, her shoulders slumping. "And I've faced down worst monsters before without flinching, so why should I be such a coward now?"

Charlotte's hand went stiff. "Worst monsters?" she said in a small voice. "You mean, like me?"

Too late Mami realized her mistake. "Oh no. Charlotte, I am s_o_-"

Charlotte silently removed her hand and started walking toward the tent's exit.

"Charlotte, wait!" Mami ran up to her and grabbed her by the arm. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking! You know I don't think of you as a monster-"

"You don't?" Charlotte said, her force harsh. "Then what were you talking about, Mami? Witches, right? Great big monsters of death and despair. And what am I? Oh right, a witch."

"Charlotte, please…"

"And not just any witch. Oh no, I'm _the _witch, the one that beat you, the one that killed you, the one that still makes you wake up screaming from nightmares. And here I am, condemning a dumb animal for being a dumb animal. So on top of everything else, I'm also a tremendous hypocrite, so go ahead and add _that _to my list of titles."

Mami had enough. "Stop that!" she cried. She pulled Charlotte around so they were facing one another. "Stop that right now! You are _not _a monster, you are _not _responsible for what Kyubey tricked you into becoming, and it is _not _hypocritical to be upset over being attacked! You are my dearest friend who _saved _me today, and I love you. So I will not stand to hear you tear yourself down like that!"

Charlotte stiffened with surprise. She blinked at Mami and stuttered, "W-what?"

"You heard me! How many times to I have to tell you that I do not blame you for my death?"

"N-no, not that. After that. You love me?"

Mami stared at her. Then she swallowed and said in a small voice, "I'm changing my…my entire orientation for you. If that's not love, then what is it?"

Looking back, Mami and Charlotte would both agree that that was the moment they stopped dancing around the grey edges of their love. It no longer was something they had mutual understanding of, it wasn't something they were working towards. They were in love, and that was that.

They didn't kiss though. Not yet. Charlotte just held Mami's gaze without saying anything, her face refusing to betray the emotion that had to be surging through her. Then she slowly closed her eyes and let her face fall.

"I guess I'm just stupid," she said as she ran her good hand through her hair. "I keep thinking that, that the reason why we haven't, uh, haven't made it official yet was that I still creeped you out, what with the…" She glanced over her shoulder. "You know, the tail, and the nightmares, and…"

"It's not," Mami was quick to say. "It's me."

Charlotte let out a small laugh. "Oh God, did you just use the 'It's not you, it's me' line?"

"Well, it's true," Mami said, feeling a little hurt. "It's a big step for me, and I just needed to ease into things. It had _nothing _to do with things we've long put behind us…" Her eyes involuntarily flickered down to Charlotte's tail and she cleared her throat "…erm, no pun intended..."

That made Charlotte laugh, though it didn't last long. "I guess," she said after a long hesitation. "I guess I'm going about this the wrong way. I guess it's not each other we need to forgive."

Mami swallowed and looked down. "Probably," she said.

"Kind of hard, isn't it? Letting go of all that junk."

"Yes."

Charlotte sighed. She put her hands on her hips. "Well, I guess…I guess we're just gonna have to, uh, find a way to deal with that, and…" Then she scowled. "Oh, hell with it."

Before Mami could ask what was wrong, Charlotte was already embracing her tightly and pressing their lips together.

Insofar as a first kiss was concerned, it was pretty chaste, not much more than a peck. They didn't tilt their head or open their mouths, their tongues remained behind their teeth, no one moaned or panted heavily, and it didn't last longer than about five seconds.

But still, it was nice. Mami would probably have enjoyed it more had she not been in a state of shock, but it was nice.

"Sorry," Charlotte said as their lips parted. "I, uh, got impatient."

"Ah," Mami said, blinking. Her mouth was tingling. "I see."

"Um, yeah." Charlotte let her arms fall. She stepped back and ran her fingers through her hair. "I…maybe that wasn't such a good idea. I'm sorry, I just, uh…"

Mami made a decision then. Their pasts had happened, and nothing they did would ever change that. Maybe the blood of all those girls was on her hands. Maybe her own horrible death was always going to rest on Charlotte's shoulders. But that didn't mean they had to let that hold them back. That didn't mean they couldn't be happy together.

And while she still didn't have the slightest clue what she was supposed to do, she wasn't going to find out if she kept hesitating.

She reached up to slip her hand behind Charlotte's neck and gently draw her down. Not expecting Mami to take the initiative, Charlotte gaped openly at her, but allowed her to be drawn into their second kiss.

Though neither of them really knew what they were doing, it didn't matter. All that mattered was Charlotte's soft lips against her own, her trembling body held warmly in her arms. Mami moved slowly, taking the time to fully enjoy the sensation.

Then a slow, burning hunger built up within her, causing her to push harder into the kiss, her lips moving with greater urgency. Charlotte let out a soft moan as her hands roamed over Mami's back, pulling her in tighter.

_This is…this is incredible, _Mami thought giddily. She was starting to feel a little lightheaded. _I can't believe I was so scared to-_

And then someone cleared her throat. Loudly.

"AHEM!"

Startled, Mami and Charlotte jerked away from each other to stare at the source of the noise. Dr. Young was there, clearly frowning in displeasure. Which, coming from her, was the next best thing to explosive fury.

"So," she said, looking from one guilty face to the next. "Havin' fun?"

Mami winced. "Well…"

"See, when I said you could stick around and keep Charlotte here company, I figured she could use the moral support and all, seein' how she almost got herself turned into ground beef. Hafta admit, I didn't expect an amateur porno to start taking place."

"Porno?" Charlotte blinked at her. "We weren't-"

"You woulda, had I not stepped in. Now as for _you!" _Dr. Young's finger jabbed hard into Charlotte's breastbone. "What are you even doin' up? You almost got your ass eaten by a motherfatherin' _valk!"_

Charlotte coughed. "Actually, it was my shoulder."

"BED!" Dr. Young roared. Charlotte flinched and quickly retreated back to the cot.

"And stay there! Jus' because you ain't feelin' any pain don't mean your insides aren't a screwy mess right now! That just means I'm a goshdamned _miracle worker _at painkillin'. Plus, your _shoulder _is missin'! You wanna see how well those bandages hold up when your girlfriend starts tearin' 'em off in the heat of passion?"

Mami's face went pale. "Now, hold on! I wasn't going to-"

"And you!" Dr. Young whirled around to face her. "The hell are you thinkin'? This girl is _hurt! _She is _wounded! _And she's been pumped with more drugs than a _pharmacy! _The last thing she needs is emotional aggravation and excessive emotional stimulation!"

"Uh, I think I need more valks even less," Charlotte said.

Dr. Young raised a finger. "Stop saying words. In fact, don't talk for the rest of the day, or I will inject a tranquilizer right into your butt."

Charlotte shut up.

Sighing, Dr. Young turned to Mami. "As for you, you're fine. The rash'll be gone by the morning. And when your little bootie patootie gets back, you'll be able to make out to your heart's content."

"Gets back?" Mami said in worriment. "Where's she going?"

"To my clinic. Duh. Her shoulder got bit off. Duh. So she's gonna hafta stay until it grows back." After a few moments she added on final, "Duh."

"Oh," Mami said in disappointment. "And…how long will that take?"

"Mmmm, 'bout three days, I guess."

Charlotte groaned out loud.

"I heard that," Dr. Young said. She got behind Mami and started pushing her out of the tent. "All right. Go. Leave. Be gone. You can come visit her tomorrow. Just know that I'm gonna be watching the whole time with a holorecorder the whole time, so don't do nothin' you don't want sold in the HoloVid store's back room."

"Yes ma'am," Mami said as she meekly allowed herself to be hurried outside. "I'm sorry."

"Sure you are." Shaking her head, Dr. Young went back to tending to Charlotte.

Sighing, Mami turned around to walk away, but paused when she saw what greeted her.

It seemed everyone was there, gathered around the tent: Shizuku, Natsuru, everyone from the beach party, the animal wranglers, even some of the marshals. What was more, each of them was watching her intently with wide grins on their faces.

"Oh my," Mami said in surprise. She looked around as an uneasy feeling started to churn in her stomach. "Um, what are you all-"

Then, as one, everyone started cheering.

"All _right!" _Natsuru pumped her fist in the air. "Way to go, Mami!"

"I will admit, it took a bit longer than I expected, but you got there in the end," Shizuku said as she applauded. "My congratulations."

"Weeeeellllllll doooooonnnnne!" Kii'sa'ko said as she clicked her fingers together, her people's way of showing approval.

"Welcome to the club, Mami!" someone else called.

"Good going! We were rooting for you!"

"Great job!"

Though Mami couldn't see herself, she had no doubt that her face was now bright scarlet. Steeling herself, she walked slowly through the crowd, not daring to look any of them in the face, all the while wishing she was wearing more than a bikini.

_If the earth would be so kind as to swallow me up right about now, _she thought as she marched forward, _that would really be appreciated. _

…

_Now…_

The light fell across Mami's face, luring her from a deep, dreamless sleep. Her eyes drifted open, and she peered blearily at the window. It was morning.

As her senses caught up to her, she became aware of the soft, feminine flesh pressing into her. This was followed by a moment of bewilderment, but then she remembered. Smiling, she turned her head to look over her shoulder.

Sometime in the night, their bodies had unconsciously shifted so that Mami was lying with her back to Charlotte with Charlotte hugging her from behind. They often spooned together like that when they slept, though this was the first time they had done so naked. What was more, Charlotte's hands, usually clasped around Mami's stomach, were now lightly cupping her breasts. Mami wondered if this had been deliberate or she had done it in her sleep. Either answer would be completely believable.

Mami wondered if she should get up, but she honestly didn't feel like it. She just felt so warm and comfortable that she didn't want to move at all. So instead she curled her legs up, squirmed her shoulders deeper into Charlotte's embrace, and closed her eyes.

She was just starting to drift off again when Charlotte shifted her position. She yawned loudly, paused, and then said, "Oh hell."

Slightly irritated that her blissful state was being interrupted, Mami mumbled, "What is it?"

"Mermaid eggs."

"What? What are you-"

Then Mami's eyes snapped wide open. In the whirlwind of events, she had completely forgotten that they were still expected to keep up their end of the harvesting. She quickly glanced to the bedside clock. 10:24 AM, more than three hours after when they were supposed to be in the field.

"We're screwed," Charlotte grumbled as she untangled herself and sat up. "Shizuku's never gonna let us alone again."

"Well, there were extenuating circumstances," Mami ventured. She pushed herself up with her elbows and rested her back against the bedframe. "Shizuku may be tough, but she's not unreasonable."

"I didn't say she was going to punish us, I said she wasn't going to let us fly solo again. And if she finds out about last night, you can bet on getting Shizuku Zoned at every single opportunity." Charlotte leaned back next to Mami and sighed. But then she smiled. "Still. I'd say it was worth it."

"Definitely." Mami leaned over to kiss her.

And then the phone rang.

Mami and Charlotte's eyes both widened in disbelief, and Charlotte drew back. "No way. No. Freaking. Way. You gotta be kidding me."

Sighing, Mami kicked the covers away and stood up. "I'll get it. It's probably just Dr. Young or Denna checking up on us."

"Tell them to jump in a lake," Charlotte suggested as Mami headed for the door. "Serve them right for…Oh. Hello."

Mami glanced over her shoulder to see Charlotte's gaze fixated on her backside. Seeing that she had been found out, the pink-haired witch grinned in appreciation. "Don't mind me," she said. "Carry on."

Shaking her head, Mami chuckled and left the room. She went into the living room and picked up the ringing phone.

"Nautilus Platform, this is Mami," she said.

"_Mami!" _came Shizuku's voice. _"So good to hear your voice! How are things?"_

Uh oh. "Oh! Shizuku!" she said, forcing as much cheer as possible. "How's New Kingston?"

"_Absolutely lovely, thank you for asking. We're just having a wonderful time. Hope things are well, and that there is a reasonable explanation as to why you're still at the platform answering phones when, by my watch, you should be out in the kelp fields by now."_

Mami didn't curse often, but she found herself mentally damning Shizuku's oft-denied sixth sense. How did that girl always know? "I know, I know," she said apologetically. "But believe me when I say that there was a very good reason."

"_Mmmm, I see. Would it have anything to do with the messages that the marshal's office has been leaving the front desk?"_

"Yes," Mami said.

There was a long sigh on the other end, and Shizuku said, _"Mami? What exactly did you two do with my platform? And how did you manage to do it so quickly?"_

"Nothing! It wasn't us!" Mami said as fast as she could. "A couple hours after you left, there was an…an emergency over on the _Aurora Borealis. _We were called in to help."

"_The _Aurora Borealis?" Shizuku's tone changed at once, going from stern chiding to genuine concern. _"What happened? Is everyone all right…or do I not want to know?"_

"Probably not," Mami admitted. "I'll…tell you everything when you get back. But yes, it got a little hectic, but everyone's fine now. The cleanup just took all day yesterday, and we were so tired that we overslept this morning." As an afterthought, she added, "I'm sorry."

There was a pause, and then Shizuku said, _"That's…troubling to hear. And no need to apologize. I know you well enough to tell when you're being sincere, so no fault of your own. But will you and Charlotte be all right? Should I call someone?"_

Though Shizuku couldn't see her, Mami still shook her head. "No, we're okay. Like I said, it was a little crazy for a while, but we pulled through. We'll take care of as much harvesting as we can, you don't have to worry."

"_Sweetie, I know my reputation, but your well-being really is of greater importance. Just promise me you'll stay safe, all right?"_

Relaxing with relief, Mami said, "I will."

"_Good to hear. I'll call again tonight. Oh, and Natsuru sends her love, and wishes you to know that her uncanny luck at games of chance has not yet deserted her, if our time at the casino last night is any indication."_

Mami had to laugh at that. "That's good to hear. Enjoy yourselves."

After she hung up, Mami returned to the room. Charlotte was still where she had left her, with her hands folded in her lap and a somewhat apprehensive look on her face. As Mami entered, her brow rose and she said, "Well?"

"Shizuku," Mami said with a smile. Charlotte looked alarmed, so she clarified, "Don't worry. I told her most of what happened. She was worried more about us. We're fine."

"Oh," Charlotte said, relaxing. "Good to hear."

Mami kissed her earlobe. "Well, come on. We still need to pick up the _ES, _and should probably do as much harvesting as we can."

Nodding, Charlotte got out of bed. "Right. Not to mention checking in with the doctors, lest they start breathing down our necks."

"And we should probably check on Jezebel and Nina before we go out," Mami suggested. "They could use all the friends they can get."

"Good idea." Charlotte glanced toward the door and smirked. "So. Better save time then. Shower?"

That sounded like an excellent idea, and soon the two of them were heading for the bathroom. As Mami twisted the hot water on, Charlotte remarked, "Still a lot of stuff to remember. Never thought the afterlife would have so many responsibilities. I bet Heaven's a lot simpler."

Mami shrugged. "Well, it doesn't matter to us anyway. I don't think we'll get to go there any time soon."

Chuckling, Charlotte walked up to hug her from behind. Her tail snaked down to wind itself around Mami's leg. In sharp contrast to the first time it had done that, Mami did not mind at all.

As the water fell upon them, Charlotte nuzzled the back of Mami's head and murmured, "You're probably right. All the more reason to start making one of our own."

…

_In words of Mami and Charlotte's magical girl forebearers, "Yatta!"_

_So yeah, okay. This has finally wrapped up. On the whole, pretty happy with how it came out. I mean, I'm no Shadowdragon or Angel0wonder when it comes to lemon, but I still think I did okay. Or not. I dunno, but I liked it. :P Besides, it had alien dinosaurs. _

_Anyways, this has definitely been an enjoyable experience, though I am rather relieved that it's over. With all the spinoffs finally done, I can concentrate on just updating RD and IM for a while. Well, there's still the yearly Christmas special, but that's tradition. _

_Hope you guys enjoyed it, and my apologies if I, uh, messed up on anything related to…anatomy. My firsthand knowledge in that area is a bit…lacking (i.e. nonexistent), so I had to rely on other people's stories for (cough) research. Yes, the whole erotica debate was me poking fun at that. _

_But anyway, this is the first chaptered fic that I've completed, so there's that at least. Full retrospect to go up in the next couple days on tumblr, per usual. Feel free to tell me what you think. Because reviews are fun and everyone loves getting them._

_Thanks for reading, everyone! _


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